Ape Has Killed Ape - Acid Reflux

In the original run of The Planet of the Apes, astronaut George Taylor discovers a society of intelligent apes who hunt humanity for sport. While the first movie deals primarily with the nature of humanity and cruelty towards animals, the subsequent films in the series took the point of view of the apes in their struggle against humanity, the moral heart of the society crystallizing around the admonition “Ape must not kill ape.” When, in the final movie, the antagonist ape is revealed to have killed the protagonist ape’s son, the other apes begin sadly chanting “ape has killed ape,” in recognition that their moral superiority had been lost. The fact that these latter entries in the series are atrociously filled and acted, even in comparison to the original, has only increased their cachet in MST3K loving circles

The band, Ape has Killed Ape, are obviously intent upon claiming a sarcastic moral superiority that only hipsters will understand. Relying on Theremins, over-processed distortion effects, and very low quality control, the music is angry, sarcastic, and grating. The vocals are snarled in a sardonically chanted spoken word akin to The New Lou Reeds, and is really fucking awesome. Actually, I would say these guys sound like a really lazy New Lou Reeds, being backed by Robby the Robot as dj. I don't mean they are backed by cute bleeps and bloops, I mean it sounds like the dj is a giant metal prop with only three fingers being manipulated by remote control.

Apparently these guys got some hype going in the indie scene at once point, whatever, this album rocks. I am currently listening to track 8: The Land of the Lost, which contains a sax solo of the damned, played in an extended bridge over a driving rhythm section. It goes on so long that you begin to wonder if the rest of the song has gone off to angrily sulk. The rhythm section is good on this album in general. The drumming is exceptionally tribal and simultaneously minimalist. It insists on its own importance in the mix, despite a persistent simplicity. And there are some pretty awesome bass lines.

So this is noise rock. If you do not like noise rock I can sympathize, and you may want to avoid this, but this is a special noise. Though chaotic, there is a clarity in the different parts here that lets the merits of each instrument involved be appreciated, even if it is what sounds like a loop of someone blowing on a bottle. Relatively conventional song structures hold the whole mess together and make the whole listenable rather than off-putting. If I were you I would buy this. If I were your sister I would also buy this.

And then be ugly.

OH.