Ungdomskulen - Modern Drummer (Ever)
4/5
By: Charlie Potter
After seeing this band not that long ago and really enjoying their set, I'll admit that I was hoping for a bit more from this single. I feel absolutely certain that they have better songs in them, and feel pretty sure that they could have recorded this one a damn sight better.
But - I can see why they've decided to release 'Modern Drummer' all the same, with more and more people getting digital radios and the emergence of more and more radio stations that are, actually (dare I say it?). good, it's not that unrealistic that this song could enjoy some sort of radio play. And from what I remember of their live show, this song at 3'44" is by far their shortest. Also it does have all the constituent elements of the band hidden in there waiting to be unravelled.
'Modern Drummer' includes intelligent chord progressions, a very subtly disco feel coming from the drums, big rock riffs, detailed song structures that are not too taxing and some brilliant melodies. The main melody in particular is very radio friendly and appears right at the beginning, shouting gleefully the words "hello, listen to me! It is time to listen to me!".
The only thing that concerns me slightly is that there is an audience who are going to hear this pop song and will yet never find out that this is a band who have more than just a sound squeezed into 10 or so slightly different permutations. Ungdomskulen are a genuinely diverse band that will keep you guessing, only to find yourself consistently, pleasantly surprised.
The bad quality of the recording I find really frustrating. You cant do a pop song if you're not willing to clean up your sound, boys. What's the point of writing a complex song if you cannot hear the complexity eh? 'Atlas' by Battles should have been huge, and could have had some real chart success, and though people think I'm joking because they can't hear in their heads what it would of sounded like had it been recorded really well, it's a similar and very real frustration here.
I hope that I do hear this on the radio at some point (most likely BBC 6music, let's be honest), and I wish this band all the luck in the world. I will never tire of seeing a band that obviously enjoy every aspect of music the way Ungdomskulen do.
Artists in this article: Ungdomskulen
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