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October 21, 2005
some organs are just beat-beat [updated]
Some might recognize this from P-fork's Norwegian music round-up and in fact the only reason I have this track is because Nick S. was kind enough to put up a YSI link online to a two-disc mix that he had compiled. So, I sharked this from him, but I'm still gonna write about it.
The intro to 'I'm On Top' sounds so innocent, like a Tim Hecker static slab taken out for a walk in the park, but that's a false beginning. Can I say that the song really earnestly starts when you hear the lyrics, "And I go for the mouth/but I come in your face/and I love how you smile/and you like how it tastes"? Ungdomskulen work in the Mclusky/Shellac vein, their music transmitted in bursts and packets (sort of lumbering, definitely pleasantly abrasive), but keep things from getting too monotonous or riff-obsessed (see the end of the song, where they kick off into a quick disco beat and slinky guitar jam). Explicit, sure, but the lyrics really remind me of the kind of jokes I would hear when I was 13 years old and caddying for a bunch of old, rich jackasses at the local country club. Or the kind of language I would hear in church, on the weekend, when I was still rocking the whole altar boy gig (kidding). Plus, the song is pretty goddamn amazing (the guitars especially are pretty, you know, slick).
'I'm On Top' is the B-side off of the "Foursome and Then Some" 7" (which is one part of Ungdomskulen's 7" trilogy), which is available right here. If you're curious about some of the band's less salacious music, they've got an mp3 of another song, 'Surf's Up', up on their website. ***Also, Sylvia was nice enough to pass along this link (in the comments) to a website where you can grab a few more mp3s from their 7" set***.
p.s. Sorry about the no-show yesterday; had a small incident at home involving a foot going through a wall (long story).
Posted by Kevin at October 21, 2005 12:45 AM
Comments
This song is fantastic! Thanks for posting it (and for all the great posts in the past few weeks).
Posted by: ian at October 21, 2005 11:19 AM
What can I say? It made me a fan. I found some more great songs at http://www.ufjelg.org/ungdomskulen/
Posted by: Sylvia at October 23, 2005 03:36 PM
I'm glad you both liked the song so much. I was a little anxious about putting it up, thinking that I'd be getting a bunch of comments about how inappropriate it is...
Thanks for the kind words, Ian. And thanks for the link to those other songs, Sylvia-
Posted by: Kevin at October 24, 2005 11:54 AM