Unicorn

Unicorn earned the “prog rock” tag during their peak years, though their sound bore no resemblance to King Crimson. Instead, the quintet crystallized the essence of J-rock at the turn of the 1990s by weaving rockabilly, ska, punk, and new wave into single tracks. Catchy melodies, an increasingly pronounced Japanese sensibility on later releases, ferocious stage presence, and a playful wit all fueled their popularity, which proved durable enough for a reunion album to top the charts sixteen years after the original split.

The band formed in Hiroshima in 1986 when Teshima Isamu on guitar, Nishikawa Koichi on drums, Mukai Midori on keyboards, Horiuchi Kazushi on bass, and Okuda Tamio on vocals and guitar came together. CBS/Sony signed them the following year, and their glossy new-wave debut Boom appeared on the label in 1987; though hardly innovative, the record advanced their profile. That same year the musicians relocated to Tokyo. In 1988 Abi Yoshiharu replaced Mukai on keyboards, after which the far more cohesive Panic Attack arrived. The 1989 album Hattori, a sprawling mix of styles, became their commercial breakthrough and doubled the sales of its predecessor. Unicorn surpassed that achievement with Kedamono no Arashi, whose tighter focus earned multiple awards in 1990. Two EPs, Odoru Kame Yapushi and Have a Nice Day, both issued in 1990 and later compiled on a single CD, preceded the fifth studio album Toge to Boin in 1991. Divergent musical directions finally fractured the group, which disbanded in 1993 after releasing Springman. Okuda and Horiuchi each launched solo careers; Nishikawa joined Vanilla; and Abi participated in several projects, among them the Sparks Go Go collaboration Abex Go Go. Unicorn reconvened in 2009 for the album Wao.