Unwind is the second major label (and third overall) studio album from post-grunge band Oleander. The band's second album released on Universal Records, Unwind sold approximately 250,000 copies. The album is noted for displaying both a wider range and softer music than its predecessor. It features three singles, "Are You There?," "Champion," "Halo," as well as "Jimmy Shaker Day," a rerecording of a song from their 1997 debut, Shrinking the Blob

Musical style

Prior to its release, vocalist Thomas Flowers described Unwind as being harder than its predecessor yet more diverse with "some extra instrumentation that doesn't make it too hardcore." Oleander also reunited with producer Richard Mouser, who the band's independent debut, Shrinking the Blob, released in 1997. Bassist Doug Eldridge described how the band wanted Mouser for their major label debut, but he wasn't available. He added, "[Mouser]'s always been kind of a founding member of this band in a way because, when we were no ones, he took us to another level."

Unwind is a 2007 science fiction novel by young adult literature author Neal Shusterman. It takes place in the United States, after a civil war somewhere in the near future. After a civil war—known as the Second Civil War or the Heartland War—is fought over abortion, a compromise was reached, allowing parents to sign an order for their children between the ages of 13 and 18 years old to be unwound—taken to "harvest camps" and having their body parts harvested for later use. The reasoning was that, since 100% was required to be used, unwinds did not technically "die", because their individual body parts lived on. In addition to unwinding, parents who are unable to raise their children to age thirteen for retroactive abortion have the option to "stork" their child by leaving it on another family's porch. If they don't get caught, the "storked" baby then becomes the other family's responsibility.

Unwind received positive reviews upon release, with praise focusing on the novel's immersive environment and sociological implications. It also received many awards from young adult literature authorities. A film adaptation of Unwind is currently in production by independent producers. A second novel titled UnWholly was released in August 2012, and a third in December 2013, titled UnSouled and a fourth in October 2014, titled UnDivided. A novella, UnStrung, was also published. UnBound is the newest edition to the Unwind Dystology. It's written by Neal Shusterman (Creator), Michelle Knowlden, Jarrod Shusterman, Terry Black, and Brendan Shusterman. It was published December 15th 2015 by Simon & Schuster. This collection of novellas gives the readers more insight into the secrets and lost stories of the Unwind world.

Neal Shusterman (born November 12, 1962) is an American writer of young-adult fiction.

Early life and education

Shusterman was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Even from a young age, Shusterman was an avid reader. At age 8, Shusterman sent a letter to E. B. White, informing him that he believed Charlotte's Web needed a sequel. White replied, stating that he thought the book was fine as it was, requiring no sequel, but encouraged Shusterman to continue writing. At age 16, Shusterman and his family moved to Mexico City. He finished high school there at the American School Foundation and quotes, "Having an international experience changed my life, giving me a fresh perspective on the world, and a sense of confidence I might not have otherwise." He attended the University of California, Irvine, where he double-majored in psychology and theater, and was also on the varsity swim team. During his years there, he wrote a popular humor column for the school paper.

Career

After college, Shusterman worked as an assistant at Irvin Arthur Associates, a talent agency in Los Angeles, where Lloyd Segan became his agent. Within a year, Shusterman had his first book deal, and a screenwriting job. He currently lives in Southern California with his four children.