Unicycle Loves You, I Love You.

Some bands explore new territory, almost questioning what music is and changing the musical landscape forever, while others devour the past and turn the old ideas into something new. The best artists are almost always well-versed in their musical history, knowing all that came before them. Originality is nearly impossible without a comprehension of what has already been done, which is why bands usually sound derivative when their influences and/or abilities are limited.

When listening to Chicago's Unicycle Loves You's self-titled debut, it's pretty clear that this is the product of a band that's spent a lot of time listening to the best music of every era, picking apart exactly what makes each thing great.

Sure, we all know that The Pixies, The Cars, New Pornographers, The Beatles, The Kinks, and Belle & Sebastian have made some really great music, but it's evident that Unicycle Loves You fully comprehends exactly what made each of these artists great. Not only do they understand it, but they have the brains and chops to be able recreate that magic, blending/shifting between each of these influences flawlessly, while maintaining a singularly cohesive product.

The list of influences seems endless, but Unicycle Loves You never sounds derivative. Album opener "Great Bargains For Seniors" seems to mix everything from Can to The New Pornographers to Television, and that's just the start. Over the course of 10 songs, the band generates an eclectic contemporary history of pop rock as intelligent and catchy as anything any of those influences have ever created.

Friday night's concert at Park Slope's Union Hall was the band's first ever NY gig, and as great as their record is, they were even more impressive live. Full of energy, despite a very long drive, they were as tight as a veteran band with decades of practice. The dizzying bombardment of style shifts were sewn together seamlessly, even though the band often had trouble hearing themselves on stage. Vocal harmonies act as one of the band's biggest weapons, and they always arrived on point.

Saturday night, Unicycle Loves You found themselves on stage at Pianos, as part of Music Slut's anniversary party. Just as they did the night before, they blew away the crowd. Songs like "Highway Robbery," "Dollars & Cents," "Hawaii!," and "Kiki Bridges" all sounded like potential indie hits—instantly memorable and unique. For the second night in a row, album-closer "Dangerous Decade" seemed to be the highlight of the set.

Forget Vampire Weekend, Unicycle Loves You just released the best poppy indie rock album of the year, and probably the best debut album of the year. Soon the blogosphere will discover this treasure and their name will be everywhere, eventually leading to a backlash after Pitchfork praises them, and they become so popular that it becomes uncool to like them.

Listen to: [Hawaii! by Unicycle Loves You]

Photos by [Jonny-Leather]