Fight Like Apes - The Body of Christ and the Legs of Tina Turner

  by Paul Waller

published: 3 / 5 / 2011

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Review

On their debut record Fight Like Apes came across as schizoid children who took the bare bones of pop and rock and fused it with early 90’s American ‘alternative’ culture. Looking at what they had created they then threw a bunch of faeces at it and recorded what stuck. In a good way. The track 'Pull Off Your Arms' and 'Let’s Play in Your Blood' continues upon these same lines and lets the listener know from the off that this band has no time for cryptic Radiohead style mystic lyrics. Halfway through the song each band member has sung the nastiest of all nasty swear words and still had time to inject the sweetest hooks into the song. Being an older fart than most I used to love it when Hefner would play these sorts of tricks with the listener, it’s just that Fight Like Apes have amped up the aggro a little and those smokey female vocals that MayKay delivers song after song can do strange things to a man. Check out 'Thirsty' for proof. “My body is pink,” she says but her “heart is all grey, stay away.” Yet that voice drags you in. It’s cute yet ridiculously wise in its tone. The only time I’m not utterly impressed is during 'Indie Monster' which is too throwaway for my taste. It sounds like it would make a fine place on a Los Campesinos! Record though. But this one slip is forgivable. When I could pick any other track at random and be floored everytime. IPods were built for this band. I suppose I should mention Fight Like Apes Are Irish but you wouldn’t know it. This is the universal sound of the youth letting rip and not caring about the consequences of their actions. Its worldwide joy and can’t be pinpointed to one country. Fight Like Apes are the universal sound of fun.

Track Listing:-

1 Come On, Let's Talk About Our Feelings
2 Jenny Kelly
3 Pull Off Your Arms And Let's Play In Your Blood
4 Hoo Ha Henry
5 Kathmandu (Face It, You're Caviar, I'm Hotdogs)
6 Thank God You Weren't Thirsty (Lightbulb)
7 Poached Eggs
8 Captain A-Bomb
9 Waking Up With Robocop
10 Indie Monster
11 Z + H5 Together At Last
12 Ice Cream Apple Fuck