When you think of Washington, D.C., rock music, the sounds of such hardcore pioneers as
Minor Threat and
the Bad Brains usually immediately come to mind -- certainly not noisy, organ-laced indie rock. But that's exactly the style of music that local favorites
the Apes specialize in, as evidenced by their third full-length (and first for the Birdman label),
Baba's Mountain. Sounding a bit at times like
the Brian Jonestown Massacre if they were fixated on
Black Sabbath rather than
the Velvet Underground, the quartet has no problem creating a sonic ruckus, despite the absence of six strings. Additionally,
the Apes have a soft spot for garage rock. But instead of focusing on succinct, three-chord songs with pop choruses like most garage rockers do,
the Apes embrace artsy, experimental song structures, as most of the tracks stretch toward five minutes in length. Your speakers are sure to get a workout if you crank such standouts as "The Night Time Reaper" and "Imp Ahh" to the max, and while Paul Weil handles the majority of the singing, organist Amanda Kleinman's lead vocals on "Ornaments and Windchimes" provide a momentary break from all the dense rock. ~ Greg Prato