Though Ape School is technically a self-titled debut album, it is more accurately described as the sophomore effort of musician Michael Johnson, whose first release, Nonsense Goes Mudslide, came out under his own nondescript name back in 2004. Since he's essentially a solo artist and his sound has not changed significantly, the shift to a band identity seems to be mainly in the interest of pragmatism. (If you search for Michael Johnson in the iTunes store, you will mostly find the work of a soft rock singer/songwriter from the 1970s.)
Ape School specialize in jaunty yet hazy psychedelia directly indebted to the Silver Apples, United States of America, and other early innovators of electronic instrumentation. Though many others have attempted to mimic the sound of those classic works, Johnson has the advantage of working with one of the earliest Moog analog synthesizers, which lends his recordings an uncanny air of authenticity. Even if there are telltale signs of modern technology and musical influence throughout the album, nearly all of the songs could pass as vintage tunes. This mostly comes down to the fact that Johnson's affections are very low-key, and that he entirely avoids the sort of self-conscious meta touches that typically characterize each successive wave of psychedelic revivalism. Most often, it seems as though he is simply writing songs to flatter the established strengths of his instrument. Of course, the downside of that approach is that his Moog tones never feel particularly fresh or surprising, even when the sound itself is quite interesting and appealing.
As an album, Ape School displays an admirable dynamic range, but it nevertheless has an extremely limited emotional palette. Despite its continuum of melodies and tempos, every track conveys feelings that are indeterminate and passionless, which has a way of making the record as a whole drift by in a blur. To a certain extent, this must be the desired effect of Johnson's compostions-- much of the lyrics indicate indecision and muted emotions, and several tracks deliberately detour into zoned-out reveries. That strategy is most effective in "Did What I Did", which starts off as a bouncy British Invasion number before drifting out into a slow mantra over an ambient keyboard hum. Johnson is also successful when he leans hard on groovy percussion, as in the Silver Apples sound-alike "My Intention", and the vaguely aggressive "Deathstomp". The quality of the songwriting dips somewhat in the album's final third, but there are no outright duds, and it's easy to forgive aimless numbers like "In Time You Are" and "Floridian Grime" when the record is mostly characterized by the tunefulness of frontloaded highlights such as "Wail to God", "That's OK", and "Be an Encore".
In the right mood-- or altered state-- Ape School is a pleasure, but outside of that state of mind, the music can seem somewhat lacking. Johnson's talent is hard to deny, but he could do well to become more ambitious in his arrangements. His tastes in melody, rhythm, and texture are exceptional, but ultimately his work is low on inspiration and originality. Ape School is a respectable album, but it's hard not to wonder if Michael Johnson is capable of doing much more with his skills and equipment than what is evident in these recordings.
