Irish band FIGHT LIKE APES have been building something of a buzz since their 2009 album debut ‘Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion’ met with almost universally positive reviews. So much so that the weight of expectancy lies heavy upon the shoulders of its’ follow-up, the immortally-titled ‘The Body of Christ and the Legs of Tina Turner.’
If titles alone could scoop plaudits, then that alone would surely grab a coveted 10 stars from W&H, but this is a hard, unstinting world where guffaw-worthy one-liners are outdone on a daily basis. So the big question is – when the giggling has died down, can FLA still pack ‘em in and keep those all-too desperate record companies happy?
Trailer single ‘Jenny Kelly’ suggests they have an outside chance. With Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill in the producer’s chair and Verve/I Am Kloot producer Chris Potter roped in to mix, the band have got critical heavyweights on their side and together they ensure ‘Jenny Kelly’ isn’t a bad stab at wider acceptance. It’s underpinned by a fashionable synth drone, finds room for some spirited guitar and sultry singer MayKay indulges in some witty truisms (“never trust a pony tail/ its’ evil charm is off the scale”), all of which conspire to get you on side. I’m told Jenny Kelly was a character from 1990s low budget Aussie sci-fi series ‘The Girl from Tomorrow’, but I’m not anorak-y enough to do more than take their word for it on that.
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So let’s settle on this summary. ‘Jenny Kelly’ is a decent, fun-packed, slightly trashy 2011 take on ye olde traditional Indie Pop. It scrawls its’ aural graffiti in big day-glo letters and it may well have a short afterlife, but you’ll certainly hear worse this year. Whether it will launch a stunningly successful sophomore album is another matter entirely.
Fight Like Apes online
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