Fight Like Apes
The body of Christ and the Legs of Tina Turner
Angela Macari O’Looney (irishunsigned.com)
FLApes, fronted by Mary-Kate (MayKay) Gerraghty, can be broadly described as Alternative Rock. However, they are a hybrid which simply couldn’t be compared with anything or anyone else musically. Categorizing or putting them in a genre is impossible because they are a force to be reckoned with; A one off!
Other members of FLApes are Jamie Fox (Pockets)- Keys/Vocals, Tom Ryan-Bass and Lee Boylan-Drums/Vocals/Trumpet. Former Drummer Adrian Mullan left the band in 2010.
This act have an astounding history since their formation in ’06. This includes touring the U.K. with The Von Bondies, The Ting Tings, The Prodigy and Kasabian, nominations for Meteor and Choice music prizes, several TV and media appearances and the list goes on.
Debut album Fight Like Apes and the mystery of the Golden Medallion was a huge success and nominated for Irish Album of the Year in 2008. Earlier recordings include debut E.P. How am I supposed to kill you if you have all the guns and David Carradine is a bounty hunter whose robotic arm hates you crotch.
This album, released in 2010 not only has a controversial title, but contains rather hair raising lyrics in most songs. However, if you can rake through the many profanities, blood curdling descriptions and extreme attempts to embarrass or shock, there actually is quite impressive instrumental content lurking in there!
Come on, Let’s talk about our feelings
On the style of Jake Summers from their debut album, this number begins slowly, building up to an explosive wall of electronic sound. Refrains performed by the members of the band add appeal and the beat, synth riffs and MayKay’s unique portrayal of a love story gone wrong, are all key features. I like the bit at the end where the entire band sing out in unison; Please accept our sincerest apologies to Mom and Dad.
Jenny Kelly
Very punky, this fast number involves superb twin keyboards and an amazing elaborate synth solo that is the most outstanding feature. Drums perform some energetic stuff too and I really enjoy Tom’s baseline here. MayKay does that barbed, sweet but cynical vocal style that only she can use to get her point across. Yet here and there a heady rock vocal filters through for the more passionate bits. Distortion laden bass, blasted out drums and crashing cymbals put the cherry on the top!
Pull off Your Arms and let’s play in Your Blood
Beginning with a sample from some American TV programme, this number’s title is a warning of what is coming. Big drum rolls, vibrating bass and synth take you into the song.
The C and F words are key features too, along with the imaginative synth instrumental. My favourite bit is where things speed up and the band explode into the chorus with the line; Pull off your arms and let’s play in your blood!
More American TV at the beginning of Hoo Ha Henry has the desired irritating effect that I expect is intended!
Blips and beeps on synths and a busy baseline accompany MayKay’s vocals and things build up, with Lee’s performance on drums sensational. Lyrics are a little obscure and crazy, but I adore the little splashes between lines and the eventual onslaught of hammering beats and powerful instrumentals, finishing with a final lingering blast of sound.
Kathmandu (Face it, You’re Caviar, I’m Hotdogs)
My favourite track from the album, this has a delightful melody line, wonderful Cello performed by Joanna Quail and I truly enjoy MayKay’s delivery of the catchy chorus. When she’s not shouting abuse, she has a lovely voice. Keyboards are wonderful here too, with drums adding dramatic chops.
I find this piece delicious from start to finish. It must be the Tina Turners legs part of the CD!
Beginning with lovely guitar, followed by haunting notation on synth, Thank God you weren’t thirsty (Lightbulb) starts off pretty laid back. A rolling beat comes in and the dynamic increases, with a catchy whistling style riff presiding. I like the lyrics; My heart is all grey, please stay stay stay away from anyone’s heart or their brain. Would that be o.k.?
MayKay’s vocals go from calm to blasting and desperate as she sings out the dramatic middle eight. She goes calm for the last chorus, where everything winds down again.
Discords and blasted out instrumentals dominate the intro and chorus of Poached Eggs.
Drums are exciting throughout, baseline too and it tends to increase in dynamic, to decrease again. This is a feature of most of FLApes numbers. There isn’t any foul language in this number, but the lyrics should still come with an X Rated warning for the iffy innuendo!
A sweet introduction where a sample is used from Bert the Turtle takes you into Captain A-bomb. Lee Boylan does some exceptional drumming in this. I like the lyrics in this number and the melody line. I particularly love the bit where things speed up to a fast punky beat and the entire band perform the chorus. I enjoy the quirky synth throughout too and the constantly alternating mood.
Robotic style instrumentals dominate for Waking up with Robocop. Samples are used throughout that include ringing telephones and a variety of sounds. The verse is done as a monotonous one note melody line. Fluctuating rhythm and bass help the atmosphere in this song and Pockets performs quite a lot of the vocals, which is a nice change.
The lyrics of Indie Monster are hilarious, although wouldn’t be too popular with Indie lovers or fans of The View. The intro is elaborate and catchy. Drums are brilliant again; synth too in this fast moving anger induced number, which MayKay performs with conviction. One of the cynical lines is; You look like a hairstyle/ You look like a boy named Kyle. I guess these tantrums beat psychotherapy!
Z + H5 Together at last
Hooker victims politely remove the brains is only a sample of the weird lyrics in this number, where MayKay and Pockets sing a catchy and harmonious chorus. Trickling style Keys and guitar notation are quite simple, but catchy. Lots of distortion is used in the instrumentals during the chorus. Everything slows down and each line is more obscure than the previous one. Fresh meat’s gonna change your life, fresh meat’s gonna make things alright. This line is repeated in the chorus of this track. Go figure!
Ice Cream Apple Fuck
MayKay’s vocals are candy sweet as she pours out a string of abuse to some female enemy. Drum rolls and paradiddles add lots of drama to the chorus. The change of pace to a three four tempo is interesting, but a little similar to a track from The Mystery of the Golden Medallion. However, I enjoy the last belted out chorus that takes the CD to its fuzzy, electronic laden and well deserved end!
Although I really like some facets of this album, it certainly doesn’t hit me the way FLApes debut album did. They tend to avoid fixing something that’s not broken yet. Perhaps that’s a great thing, but the high point in it for me personally was when I could actually hear music arrangements that delight and something I’d want to hear again and again. One track did that for me and that was Kathmandu.
The instrumental brilliance of the band is undeniable and never fails to amaze me. Perhaps a bite of The body of Christ might not be a bad idea for whoever writes the lyrics. Cover art suits the title. A ripped picture of just the torso section of a statue at the top and a collage affect with a different picture of a pair of sexy legs at the bottom. You are treated to Holy Communion photographs of each band member, which I’m sure they enjoyed donating and only a few lines from tracks on the album. Lyrics would have been good, but then again perhaps they are unprintable!
No comments:
Post a Comment