Friends! This is the tale of The Apes' epic travels in pursuit of the precognitive, post-cognitive two-headed Gemini butterfly! Marvel at the primal beauty of the Forest of Confusion! Tremble before the psychic might of Brainbow and Brainbro, free-floating nerve-clusters bent on constructing "robot bodies to spread disease!" Be inadvertently confused by the sudden appearance of some dude (Ape? Maybe!) named Worwiz, who knows "all there is to know!" Say your prayers and wet your pants as he detonates a world-ending nuclear blast! Actually, on second thought, maybe Worwiz is the butterfly. I'm sure there's a story here, but I'm also sure that I'm not crazy enough to "get it." Remember when The Apes used to be content to just namecheck apes a lot?
Journeys far from the wilds of their native D.C. have deepened this band, it seems, and I'm not just referring to the evil absurdity of Oddeyesee's "plot." Materially, the concept isn't particularly enlightening, though it never fails to entertain (if only out of the sheer conviction behind the insanity), but it's the band's music that's really seen the benefits of evolution. The Apes no longer need to relentlessly assert dominance through layer after layer of pulverizing bass and crash cymbals; the Moog/organ combo-- once merely a garnish to distract from the lack of guitars-- now subtly brings its way to the fore, leading with the carrot instead of the whip. Fans of The Apes' debut's slope-browed, knuckle-dragging aggression, don't fret: it hasn't gone the way of the way of the dodo, it's just a little tamer now, more focused.
You'd never know it from the opening, though: The Apes' killer instincts take control, surrounding the listener just seconds into "Intro". Angry jungle drums pound away from all angles, panning back and forth across the channels before an ominously simple bass riff introduces the echoing, otherworldly narrator, who makes clear the nature of Oddeyesee's unique vision. "I-Magic" immediately hints at The Apes' more civilized tendencies, though; by their own admission, they're now "twice as smart and half as blind." Here, the just-barely-under-control dynamic between soaring organ fills, Paul Weil's agonized, wild-eyed vocals, and the doomsday percussion shows just how far they've come. All aspects of their sound have been mastered, unified into an overwhelming, but-- and this is the real trick-- not overpowering force; it's direct evidence of the vastly improved songwriting on Oddeyesee, and there's more to come.
The Apes still tend to get by on psyched-out riff repetition, drilling through monolithic rhythmic progressions, but the organ's increased prominence causes them to never rely too heavily on any one element. In many ways, the arch complexity of Amanda Kleinman's work at the keys is a crystallization of The Apes' newfound refinement, and frequently serves as the primary melodic focus. "Myops' Coin-Ops" segues effortlessly through rolling bass crescendos, organ trills and fills, and sinister breakdowns, never lingering on any section long enough to even show wear. Trippy, ritualistic chanting fuses with 60s psychedelia before dissolving into an ingenious manipulation of stock B-Movie organ lines in "Village of Brainbow and Brainbro" (seriously); it's goofy as hell, but so perfectly executed and so bizarrely fitting with the overall mood of the album that it's almost impossible not to enjoy.
Elsewhere, as on "While Majestic Ape Sleeps", the haunting call of the lone organ is all that can be heard, and the shift from rock adrenaline to such delicate, almost ethereal atmospherics is utterly gorgeous. "Big Fog" takes that idea a step further, combining graceful Moog riffs, soaring organ refrains and bass drums that thunder with ultimate, bruising intensity. These more "experimental" cuts may actually be the finest moments on an album rich with blasts of awe-inspiring firepower. Sometimes the band's more ambient leanings cause them to briefly stumble (the spacey drone of "How You Like Me Now" leaps instantly to mind), but the dividends paid by the decision to rein in their self-indulgent riff-flogging and take a few steps up the evolutionary ladder for Oddeyesee are indisputable, and more than welcome. Jane Goodall would be proud.
