Unicorns' Alden Penner Delivers <i>Odes to the House</i>

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Apr 5, 2011

Alden Penner is back and he has a new solo EP to prove it. While a few weeks ago a commercial for MSGVarsity plagiarized Canuck poppers the Unicorns' classic "I Was Born a Unicorn," the last time we really heard from member Penner was last summer when he debuted his Hidden Words project with fellow ex-Unicorn Jamie Thompson. The band's next move is unclear, so in the meantime, Penner is kickin' it solo styles.

A new EP, Odes to the House, was released yesterday (April 4) on European label Beep! Beep! Back Up the Truck. The seeds of the set were sown during a four-month trip that led him from Bamako, Mali to Haifa, Israel.

A press release explains that the four-song collection is "dedicated to the people of the world, particularly in North Africa and the Middle East, who have been expressing their desire for justice and peace in recent months, in the hopes this energy and fervour can be channeled into true and enduring emancipation from the weight of grievous oppression."

Speaking of the new tunes, Penner said, "These are liberation songs, I hope, of the spiritual kind, seeking to uplift hearts to new heights of understanding and appreciation of the literature and station of the Universal House of Justice."

Following his journey, Penner spent time recording the songs in Paris, Vendôme, Thoré la Rochette and Utrecht. While in Utrecht, the musician linked up with Dutch label Beep! Beep! Back Up the Truck, who are releasing the set as a unique handmade package, including a silk-screened poster, an inlay with notes by Penner, a dropcard giving access to the songs and making-of videos.

But getting a CD of the songs is optional. You can also buy the songs directly on his Bandcamp page here or stream them below.

Odes to the House:

1. "Last shelter"

2. "The fountain of the living"

3. "The mountain of significance"

4. "The house won't pass"

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