Fight Like Apes - The Body of Christ and the Legs of Tina Turner

Oh crikey, today is not a good day to be reviewing this album. I'm currently enduring the beastly aftermath of a cracking bank holiday weekend, I need calm, relaxing music to take the pain away. Instead I've got the 12 bleepy, synth-drowned, deranged head-fucks that make up Fight Like Apes' second album, Body of Christ and the Legs of Tina Turner, and if you were thinking that the Irish four-piece might have toned down the comic-strip brat punk since their debut in 2008, you can guess again. They're still using the silly song titles, sardonic lyrics and excessive use of the f-word to shocking effect and you're still relentlessly attacked by synths, distortion and front-woman MayKay's superb vocals at every possible angle. It's certainly an interesting way to be dragged out of a hangover.

Singles 'Jenny Kelly' and 'Hoo Ha Henry' are excellent specimens of frenzied and infectious trashy pop that will send fans kicking and screaming their way to the dance-floor. Lyrically MayKay pulls no punches on the brutally bitchy and bitter dissection of the indie scene on 'Indie Monster', where she confesses she'd like to "bump your head until you stop breathing/ stop breathing/ I want you dead". I also really like the delightfully titled closer, 'Ice Cream Apple Fuck'.

There are, however, more than a couple of stinkers on this album, 'Captain A-Bomb' has some of the worst rhyming lyrics I have ever heard. For example: "Sometimes Captain A-Bomb/ writes his mum a nice song/ Great big bongs and ding-dongs/ Kylie's greatest hit songs" just sounds like the band are trying too hard to be those k-raaa-zy kids that talk a load of nonsense. Truly awful backing vocals from keyboardist Pockets feature prominently on several of the tracks and really detract from MayKay's distinctive vocals; 'Waking Up With Robocop', for instance, is a nice change of pace, but the unnecessary and strained shouts from Pockets really over-egg the pudding and ruin what could be a perfectly nice song.

I can see why some people might write Fight Like Apes off as an obnoxious bunch of annoying irritators who hate everyone and show off by cursing and play-fighting on stage. Personally, I do think that, as an album, I could grow weary of it quite quickly, but there are some insanely catchy songs on here which would never fail to get me dancing. I started listening to this album in the foetal position slowly sipping water and by the second listen I was jumping round my living room searching for the dregs of last night's booze, if nothing else, it's a really fun listen and If you aren't a hyped up ball of energy after hearing this album then you're either dead or far more hungover than I am.