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Sean Na Na
Return of the Unicorn
Troubleman Unlimited
Return of the Unicorn is a relatively sleepy return for Sean Na Na, as it offers a meager six stripped-down, uniquely ordinary songs to follow up their brilliantly beautiful album, Dance Till Your Baby is a Man. While frontman Sean Tillmann¹s talent for somewhat cryptic-yet-candid songwriting isn¹t lost in this brief effort, the presentation is somewhat rawer than the last album, and takes a small while to appreciate for the good indie-pop it really is. Overall, it¹s the outcome that has shifted more than the ingredients, although the scales have been tipped somewhat away from the keyboards and more towards the guitar. This doesn¹t much change the construction of the song, but there¹s a subtle-yet-important shift in its delivery.
These six tracks are also considerably darker in theme, as they quietly reflect on bad dreams and dirty looks with an air of self-distaste or, at the least, distrust. The music is subdued and drowsily poppy, meandering along with the quirky help of the Sean Na Na staple electric piano and Sean¹s soothing and sincere vocals. However, the songs aren¹t immediately accessible, and take a bit of work to really appreciate past their originally mediocre visage. Once you¹re on Sean¹s wavelength, though, it¹s wonderful Sean Na Na as usual infectious, intriguing, simple and irresistible.
Troubleman Unlimited, 16 Willow St., Bayonne, NJ 07002, http://www.troublemanunlimited.com
Jason Feifer
