The Apes: Ghost Games

Before Ghost Games, The Apes made concept albums—wild and fantastic epics in which the band imagined themselves as magical crusaders and conjured bizarre visions of twisted enlightenment. These strange tales were held down by the dark and murky pummel of booming drums, fuzzed-out bass or baritone guitar, and dense organ.

After the release of Baba’s in 2005, Apes singer Paul Weil quit the band to start a family. He was replaced by visual artist Breck Brunson, who quickly melded into the group before touring in support of Liars. On Ghost Games, Brunson’s cracked voice lilts into a spooky falsetto, and his staggered cadence complements the band’s huge sound.

The new songs are magnificent and massive. “Walk Through Walls” opens with a quiet, plinking keyboard before expanding into a monster groove with Brunson’s lyrics exploring telekinesis. “Practice Hiding” features a strong, simple beat and dirty, pulsating bass topped with wailing organ. “G.R.F.” is a peppy track, with Brunson warning against the self-defeating pursuit of success—ghost rat fever. “Beat of the Double,” The Apes’ most spry song yet, extracts the band from their thick aural fog with ’60s girl-group handclaps, and synthesizer burps punctuated by Brunson’s reedy voice relating a tale of doppelgangers.

The disappointment on Ghost Games is the lack of an overarching storyline. Individual songs still explore ludicrous journeys, but the heady concepts of The Apes’ earlier albums have been replaced by more concrete lyrics addressing economic hierarchies, bureaucracy, and social issues. The change is not unwelcome, but the strange characters inhabiting The Apes’ lumbering psychedelia really clicked on previous material.

-Nate Daly

The Apes: www.theapes.com
Gypsy Eyes: www.gypsyeyesrecords.com