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Beautiful Grotesque

by Underthings

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    Comes in a full-color, 100% recycled sleeve featuring art work by Brad Erickson (detail from the watercolor painting 'The Protopaisleyan Era' and photography by Jason Baldwin. Graphic design by Lisa Roth.

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1.
Lono is Coming 02:52
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Lono is Coming Brad Erickson 2012 Swelling belly of the moon The tide brings the purple Man o’ War soon Fruit falls and pounds the sand Lono is coming Close up the temple doors Priestess: scatter the offering Gods: stand silent in the dark Lono is coming Rains drown the blossoms red Warriors drop their clubs of dread A drum beat sounds from across the sea Lono is coming Pleiades rise to center sky Signs appear in the clouds up high Kill the pig, prepare the feast Lono is coming Seeds burst, and taro rots Even the stream is hot Begin the dance, follow the flame Lono is coming
2.
Time to Bend 01:20
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Time to Bend Brad Erickson 2012 I’ve got time to get to know the one inside Of me, that sees the one inside your head I’ve got time to weave a web between us two And time to plant some flowers in our bed Let’s take some time to resonate as bells that chime, Overtones arising in a dream Let’s take time to rhyme and reason, running wild With words that matter, more than they can mean The time we travel will unravel what we weave Then give us opportunities to mend it Yet still the threads may break and that would make me grieve But it won’t break, if just like time, we learn to bend it
3.
When I Swarm 02:50
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When I Swarm Brad Erickson 2012 The sound of friction fills the air Listen: hear the buzzing there Watch me sculpt the wax into a prism I use my tongue to lick the nectar I’m a badass nectar collector I’m not superfly, I’m a superorganism Although I’m not so very large Got an electrostatic charge And my crib is nice and warm I’m a blossom-hoppin’ pollinator A sick nectar regurgitator Better watch me when I swarm CHORUS When I swarm, when I swarm When I swarm, when I swarm Suckin’ nectar from the flower Swarmin’ ‘cause I got the power My roller coaster ride is sweet The taste of honey can’t be beat I’m a worker that never has to rest Assassin bugs hide there unseen The queen is dead, love live the queen I go out, scout, to find another nest I do my dance to make my maps I’m fighting colony collapse I fly before the storm Just trying to do my thing Don’t get hung up on my sting Come on, watch me when I swarm CHORUS When I swarm, when I swarm When I swarm, when I swarm When I swarm, when I swarm When I swarm, when I swarm Suckin’ nectar from the flower Swarmin’ ‘cause I got the power
4.
Lazy Luscious Land 03:32
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Lazy Luscious Land B. Erickson 2012 Have you heard about, that Lazy Luscious Land? Have you heard about, that Lazy Luscious Land? Let me tell you ‘bout it, so you can understand You never have to work, in Lazy Luscious Land You never have to work, in Lazy Luscious Land Anything you need, just hold out your hand Love is all around, that Lazy Luscious Land Love is all around, that Lazy Luscious Land People get along and get it on, out on the ocean sand Music fills the air, in Lazy Luscious Land Music fills the air, in Lazy Luscious Land The snail in your ear just dance a spiral down to Smirkistan Welcome to Smirkistan! Welcome to Smirkistan! Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian working hand-in-hand Wiccan, Athiest, Jew and Satanist living well on the land Welcome to Smirkistan! Welcome to Smirkistan! If you can dream it, then you can stream it, and you can beam it all around No need to hide it, or cast aside, it’s time to ride it on sacred ground Welcome to Smirkistan! Welcome to Smirkistan! Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian working hand-in-hand Wiccan, Athiest, Jew and Satanist living well on the land Welcome to Smirkistan! Welcome to Smirkistan!
5.
Alien Hermaphrodite Lover 04:46
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Alien Hermaphrodite Lover B. Erickson 2012 You made it with Ziggy some years ago, had a thing for human beings But you don’t age the same way that we do. You still look good in jeans Somehow you stowed away, you made it on the homeward shuttle flight And the next thing that I knew, you were tapping on my window late at night Kinda pretty, kinda tough, I let you in, but was I man enough? Kinda handsome, kinda weird, could you ever grow a beard? I asked just how you were arranged, you said, “ever seen a werewolf change?” Well I hadn’t, but I came to guess, there were only sometimes that you filled-out a dress Well you’ve got a name I can’t pronounce It makes our love hard to announce But that don’t matter when we’re under the covers My alien hermaphrodite lover You asked if you could date my sister on the days we call you mister It might be incest once-removed but who am I to harsh your groove? My sister stipulated you get good and clean before you switch between us You said a photon shower would be nice, we said a bathtub would suffice You come and go, you shrink and grow How you do it no one knows You play both sides, that’s what we discovered. Our alien hermaphrodite lover We found out you were a hoochie, left us to go chase some hot space cootchie Used the clothes dryer spin for oscillation, orbed out naked to your destination My sister was knocked up, I got plastered: you dirty space bastard! Would the kid be a star or face persecution? Would it be the next link in human evolution? The reason for our discontent? You went and came then came and went I’d slap your face, if I could orbit and hover You alien hermaphrodite lover
6.
Feast of the Calf 03:07
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Feast of the Calf Brad Erickson 2012 Pantagruel, awake, for it is dusk Fire glows crimson on the sands The butchers rest with reddened hands The smoke of sacrifice ascends To please the gods Bees from the hive, sting you awake But leave you sweet, with golden dust They mean to prick your appetite Goad your throat to lust Your belly trembles at the scent At table it is president The purple sash around your girth Circumnavigates the earth The groaning cart has come for you The ox is decked with scarlet flowers The fat is hissing on the fire Warm bread perfumes the air The moon shines bright upon the beach Musicians rent the air A sword will serve you for a knife A pitchfork combs your hair Let hatchet broach the cask of wine Let black juice fill the bowl Let steaming meat stand piled high Smoking innards crown it all Was there ever any world of such abundance! Pantagruel, awake, for it is dawn Fire glows crimson on the sands The butchers rest with reddened hands The smoke of sacrifice ascends To please the gods
7.
Eulogy 03:09
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Eulogy Brad Erickson 2012 Pray for the body and the eggplant Which is the calling card The mighty coat-of-arms Of our exalted majesty So gracious So serene So majestic When he got it up How glorious he was He can rule like any fool While he snorkels in your gene pool Got a scepter with a great big knob That can handle any job Baron of lost innocence Elegantly insolent Duke of all debauchery God of voyeurs and delinquency Now he’s on his death-bed Could be his liver Could be the gout Could be the clap, clap, clap, clap it out Quack doctors crowd him till he can’t breathe Denied coverage by his insurance company Smack doctor shoot him with a giant syringe That overdose was his last binge Pray for the body and the eggplant Which is the calling card The mighty coat-of-arms Of our exalted majesty!
8.
Breed with You 04:44
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Breed with You Brad Erickson 2012 In a microbe made of stardust there’s a secret code, some call it DNA You don’t need to know the science ‘cause that stuff is gonna get you anyway Well it grew up through the slime, it had the drive, it knew just what to do Now it struts and preens, know what I mean, in fact it looks a lot like you Well it made up rules of courtesy and dating, laws of marriage and romance But deep down you know it’s striving and conniving just to get in someone’s pants As a species that's the main thing, that’s the funky deed that helps us all survive There’s no need to sugar coat it, I’m a goat it’s all about that funky drive I wanna breed with you, oh yeah! I wanna breed with you oh yeah! I wanna breed with you, un huh! I wanna breed with you un huh! Satisfy my need with you, oh yeah! Do the dirty deed with you oh yeah! Do it ‘til I bleed with you, un huh! yeah, I wanna breed with you un huh! There’s bridesmaids, baby showers and there’s ministers who tell us to make vows But the secret code inside us says we never needed that stuff anyhow If it makes you feel better, here’s a sweater I crocheted to gain your trust No cologne, I like your pheromones, if we don’t bone I think I’m gonna bust CHORUS Turn off your phone, turn off the voice, you know the one that’s messing with your head Don’t listen to that stuff when we’re freaking on the floor beside your bed Can’t ya hear your hormones screaming: don’t ya woo me, give it to me, make it funky! If I don’t have fleas above my knees it don’t mean that I won’t be your flea-bit monkey There’s a time and place for poetry, philosophy and all that other stuff When you’re aching, body quaking, don’t you know that naked shaking is enough I never ceased to be a beast, don’t need a priest, don’t want your family to approve If we’re roughly the same species, let’s do it in our Mitsubishis No more waiting, no more dating, let’s get mating in that dirty funky groove CHORUS
9.
Pond Life 04:34
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Pond Life Brad Erickson 2012 I been down where the algae blooms Down dark where the crawdad play a tune Love juice of Cutthroats all around Guess that's how they get that funky sound Pond life!…sometimes so small that you can’t see ‘em Pond life!…I love that paisley paramecium Pond life!… sometimes like them I feel so small Pond life!…seems hardly worth it to live at all I rode a mosquito’s back I drank his blood just for to have a snack We both got swallowed by a trout I sure don’t know how we’ll get out Pond life!…the dragonfly will spy on you Pond life!…and see the evil that you do Pond life!…if I could just be free Pond life!…this pond’s my penitentiary Turtle sitting there on the log Thinks he’s safe from all attack Seems like he’s got it made there in the bog But the weight of the world is on his back Pond life, yeah! pond life Your muddy footsteps go beyond That stream might lead you to a pond There’s pond life in your curds and whey There’s ponds out in the milky way Pond life!…you’ve got to eat to stay alive Pond life!…and you’ll be eaten when you die Pond life!…and when it seems you just arrive Pond life!…it’s time to say good bye Pond life!
10.
Medusa 04:00
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Medusa Brad Erickson 2012 Molten flower, liquid as glass Pulsing in the tide Trailing ribbons deadly and fine To touch them is pain that will never subside Bubbling lips and eyes like the sea Tendrils arabesque Slender fingers twining with mine And pull me down into your burlesque CHORUS Medusa, you, enchantress, who Can let me go or bind me Your poison seeps into my blood Until your oceans find me And there I rest in your caress Still I remember doubt The pleasure as you drew me in May turn to pain if you should turn me out, turn me out, turn me out The waves are gentle here by the shore The milky sea invites me You beckon me to float here with you I see through your smile and still it excites me Betrayed by my longing I know it indicts me The verse you chant ensnares and recites me CHORUS
11.
Slime Angel 04:57
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Slime Angel Brad Erickson 2012 I saw your finger, reach out from the kelp I looked around, there was no one to call for help I pulled you loose, yeah, you were alive You had the strangest eyes You’re not a mermaid, you haven’t got a tail But there’s something twisted ‘bout you, like a snail And the glow that vapors off you, that was a surprise But most of all, I’m shattered by those eyes CHORUS Slime Angel, Slime Angel, your skin is damp and greenish yellow Slime Angel, Slime Angel, Neptune kicked you out of his bordello You broke the rules, Slime Angel, too kinky for the sea But I don’t care Slime Angel, you can stay here with me Slime Angel, you taught me interspecies love My family says to leave you, but I tell them to shove My house smells like low tide, not in a bad way I’m saying that I want you to stay CHORUS BRIDGE You got fish bait eyes, slinky little seaweed lingerie I’m hypnotized, shipwrecked, north of Monterrey, yeah Damn! Slime Angel, you knock me out You’re not just a rainbow, you’re a rainbow trout Wet-look fashion, lord you wrote the book, yeah Come on Slime Angel, bite my hook And never let go, stay with me Let ‘em call you freak show, stay with me I’m still your beau, stay with me I’ll fertilize your roe, stay with me So just go with the flow, stay with me And stay with me
12.
Seizure Squid 04:39
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Seizure Squid Courtney Arnold and Brad Erickson 2012 I did it with the narwhal and I kinda liked his tusk Tried it with the walrus and I sorta liked his musk I’ve never gone for mermen, they done sold me to the witch It’s interspecies nookie that really scratch my itch When I saw him in that wetsuit, of slick black neoprene I thought he was the sexiest damn seal I’d ever seen But maybe I misjudged the look of passion on his face Cause this wasn’t what I had in mind when I came back to his place Yeah our bodies didn’t fit well, but he screwed me just the same When they fired up that sonar, it blew my mermaid brain If he’d only loved and left me, I’d have raised his mutant kid Instead I’m living in this tank, with just my seizure squid Oh yeah, my seizure squid, I’d be so lonely without you The way you squirt that ink to warn me, and now I’m always blue Oh yeah, my seizure squid, you sense that ultrasonic pulse To them it’s echo navigation, they pull the switch and I convulse They say that I’m the lucky one Floating in this tank All my friends turned up like flotsam A foul and frothy stank My family all beached and gone As soon as that machine turned on And the scientists just watch So in between experiments I’ve become the main attraction Those tourists really do line up for freaky mermaid action It’s true I like it kinky, which don’t mean I’m for sale But a girl can only go so long before she needs some tail Oh yeah, my seizure squid, I’ve never known a love so true Though when you blow your load the lights go out And I begin to thrash about, my body twists but I can’t shout Oh yeah, my seizure squid, a seeing-eye dogfish couldn’t help A talking parrotfish could never save me, tangled in the kelp Oh yeah, my seizure squid, I’d be so lonely without you The way you squirt that ink to warn me, and now I'm always blue Here it comes again
13.
He's Everywhere 03:57
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He’s Everywhere B. Erickson 2012 I came up by the old back stair, and he was there I went to sit in my favorite chair, and he was there I slept in the cemetery for a dare I went to the doctor for repair And he was there, oh, he was there I crept to my secret fishing hole, and he was there I dug down deeper than a mole, and he was there I bought a ticket to the cold North Pole Well I saw something there that chilled my soul ‘Cause he was there, yeah, he was there Chorus Can’t miss him with that shock of hair So I have to say, though it don’t seem fair He’s everywhere, he’s everywhere, He’s everywhere, he’s everywhere In the hobo jungle, right by the fire, he was there When the votes were counted by the liar, he was there Where the bankers couldn’t get much higher And on the battleground, crawling through barbed wire He was there, oh he was there On May Day I went to the parade, and he was there So I fled the heat to find some shade, and he was there When the police made their midnight raid I could see his hand in the whole charade For he was there, yeah, he was there Chorus Had to get away, had to hop the bus, and he was there Got off in Indianapolis, and he was there In the library where they told me “shush” I looked up the word “ubiquitous” And he was there, he was there At the gladiator’s final roar, he was there At the gates of hell he holds the door, oh he was there At dawn there’s footprints in the dew, Who made them? I can tell you who He was there, yeah, he was there Chorus
14.
Oaklandish 05:22
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Oaklandish B. Erickson 2012 Moses is at Telegraph and Broadway, You can smell the burning bush Chosen people shoved around, Don’t forget that we know how to push We took the streets again, you can’t deny it We came to stay, we’re here to occupy it And we’re Oaklandish Oaklandish Oaklandish Oaklandish Girl scouts are marching in a protest ‘cause someone’s blowing out their wish The preacher’s sittin’ with the Buddha The rabbi’s dancing with the fish A crypto-fusion taco truck pulls up and asks me if I want to fry it “Maybe later” I say, “when I’m hungry,” “right now I’m here to occupy it.” And it’s Oaklandish Oaklandish Oaklandish Oaklandish It’s complicated, like a puzzle, You stick a label, call it chaos? If you can’t work it out or just don’t want to, baby, that’s your loss A thousand tongues tell many truths, you know we’re here to testify it We know what we’re doing we all agree we’re here to occupy it And it’s Oaklandish Oaklandish Oaklandish Oaklandish
15.
Apocalypse or Bust 02:47
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Apocalypse or Bust B. Erickson 2012 The obelisk stood all alone A calendar engraved in stone The mason banged his thumb and cussed Apocalypse or bust! The prophesy has been revealed Papyrus scrolls just now unsealed So read them ‘fore they turn to dust Apocalypse or bust! Apocalypse! Apocalypse! Bearded prophet grant my wish! Check that I am on the list I’ll blow my dog a farewell kiss Apocalypse! Apocalypse! The final time is here, is this! So do not blink or you will miss The final bliss, Apocalypse! The magic square adds up each side The date is sure to coincide Except for sinners lost in lust Apocalypse or bust! Careening at the edge of time Thinner than a silver dime Whereon it reads “In God We Trust” Apocalypse or bust! Apocalypse! Apocalypse! Nostradamus grant my wish! Check that I am on the list I’ll blow my dog a farewell kiss Apocalypse! Apocalypse! The final time is here, is this! So do not blink or you will miss The final bliss, Apocalypse! The preacher on the corner tells Of heavens, one, but many hells “Repent and join the good and just! Apocalypse or bust!” On bully billboards see the blazon Time will shrivel like a raisin But lo! the billboards turn to rust Apocalypse or bust! Apocalypse! Apocalypse! Quetzalcoatl grant my wish! Check that I am on the list I’ll blow my dog a farewell kiss Apocalypse! Apocalypse! The final time is here, is this! So do not blink or you will miss The final bliss, Apocalypse!
16.
Midnight Radio 04:40
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Midnight Radio Stephen Trask 1998 (EMI). Rain falls hard Burns dry A dream Or a song That hits you so hard Filling you up And suddenly gone Breath Feel Love Give Free Know in your soul Like your blood knows the way From you heart to your brain Know that you're whole And you're shining Like the brightest star A transmission On the midnight radio And you're spinning Like a 45 Ballerina Dancing to your rock and roll Here's to Patti And Tina And Yoko Aretha And Nona And Nico And me And all the strange rock and rollers You know you're doing all right So hold on to each other You gotta hold on tonight And you're shining Like the brightest stars A transmission On the midnight radio And you're spinning Your new 45's All the misfits and the losers Yeah, you know you're rock and rollers Spinning to your rock and roll Lift up your hands Lift up your hands
17.
X-Ray Spex 04:29
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X-Ray Spex B. Erickson 2012 Do the calaveras hop a long way from the last days of October? Are you still waiting for the drag ball de los muertos to be over? Do you use a bone as a telephone to talk about Divine with Malcolm X? What do you see with your X-ray spex? What do you see with your X-ray spex? Equus ferus caballus, discuss with me, does every horse and rider, Ride like famine or in fashion sewn in flesh tone by Lady Godiva? Can you see the wild eyes, the pounding hoofs, the sweat, the drool, the lather foaming flecks? What do you see with your X-ray spex? What do you see with your X-ray spex? Sea monkeys! Sea monkeys! Tell me what they look like with your goggles Do they live in little houses, Day-Glo castles, or in tiny, skanky brothels? Do they eat their vegetables when skeletal, do they rock, do they listen to T. Rex? What do you see with your X-ray spex? What do you see with your X-ray spex? Does every show you see appear to shine and glow as lurid as a porno? And did the orgy seem a dream direct from scene nine of the Inferno? Your spex perplex, is that your ex, what’s coming next, is sex what he expects? What do you see with your X-ray spex? What do you see with your X-ray spex? What do you see with your X-ray spex? What do you see with your X-ray spex?

about

Fecund psychedelia that mocks to a funky groove, these songs expose the private lives of jellyfish and bees, carnival rites, bent genders, the Occupy movement, the Apocalypse, and the naked shakings of human-alien romance.

It’s ritual time when anything could happen. Your next lover could wash up on the beach — or drop from outer space — and might not be exactly human. Underthings won’t ask where you come from, they just want you to come with them.

Beautiful Grotesque exudes a world of beings who swarm, feast, seduce, mate, protest, smirk, mourn, enchant, radiate, hallucinate and sacrifice as they stumble from the shores of Vertigo Island to the very end of time. Your family might not approve but will you grasp the hand reaching from the kelp?

Underthings are a soulful vocal trio propelled by a supple rhythm section of drums, bass and guitar. Their sound blooms from funk, rock, punk, and Motown roots and sometimes branches into Bollywood and tropicalia. Underthings' music is described as “Anthemic ceremonial satire” by Tim McKee, Managing Editor of The Sun Magazine. Listeners have been reminded of the Velvet Underground, David Bowie, the Beatles, Os Mutantes, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Vocalists Brad Erickson, Courtney Arnold and Olivia Rathbone are veterans of alt-musical theater productions such as DayGlo Yodel and Apostasy of the Sea Monkeys. Drummer Jason Berkman keeps bees and also keeps beats for Baby Seal Club and Parlor Tricks. Bassist Sarah Topaz can also be heard playing the low notes for Illusive Soul.

credits

released September 14, 2012

Brad Erickson: vocals and guitar
Courtney Arnold: vocals, gorgogliatore, cuíca, kazoo
Olivia Rathbone: vocals, tambourine, saxophone, güiro, wood block, gorgogliatore
Jason Berkman: drums
Sarah Topaz: bass
Bernie Jungle, guitar on tracks 5, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15 and 16

All songs written by Brad Erickson except "Midnight Radio" written by Stephen Trask (EMI) and "Seizure Squid" written by Courtney Arnold and Brad Erickson.

Recorded, mixed and mastered at The Wally Sound, Oakland, California. 2012.

Art: Brad Erickson,
Photography: Jason Baldwin
Graphic design: Lisa Roth.

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