(Ever Records/VME)

Genres are for the weak, as are practical band names

It’s hard to comprehend that Norway’s Ungdomskulen are a three piece. There is simply such a diverse range of sounds that form a complicated mess that is somehow well construed and precisely calculated. Cry-Baby is abrasive, yet full of moments of catchy pop that quickly diverge into explorations of experimentalism in the vein of bands a like Mogwai. However, before such expeditions even come close to tiresome the band quickly fall back into dissonance draped in strange vocal melodies and lyrics. Kristian Stockhau’s voice and lyrics themselves are quite otherworldly, his musings offbeat and abstract, yet intuitively understandable. His actual singing is inclusive of a well-controlled baritone and operatic insanity-filled highs, with melodies that are almost nursery rhyme in nature. Even if Cry-Baby isn’t your thing, it’s a testament to the fact that bands who interweave a multiplicity of genres can still be digestible.

DAVID FANNON

Be first to comment on this article

Write Comment
Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged.
Name:
Comment:
Code:*