The return of an old
favourite, with an album that came extremely close to topping this list. APC released two fantastic records at
the turn of the century: Mer de Noms
(1999) and Thirteenth Step (2003). Aside
from a subsequent covers album in 2004 and a bit of touring, that was it: two
records (at least, proper ones), and done. While I loved them at the time, I didn’t
expect all that much from this comeback: I’m mean, how many bands produce their
best work after a 15 year hiatus? Eat the
Elephant is controversial amongst APC
fans, and divided critics. ‘Too commercial’, ‘not heavy enough’, ‘not a metal
album’ have all been common complaints I’ve heard. And there’s truth in all of
them: the thing is, they’re all pluses. On its face, this record is more mainstream,
and it’s certainly not especially heavy or, indeed, a metal album at all (meaning
that album cover image is notably incongruous). But it is a record with far more variety and depth than anything they’ve
done before, and the fact that it has some hooks isn’t a bad thing. Eat the Elephant’s comparative
palatability doesn’t diminish the (significant amount of) weirdness bubbling
away under the surface. This weirdness emerges both musically (the off-key ‘The
Contrarian’, the dark piano of ‘DLB’, or the blackboard-scratch guitar of
‘Hourglass’ all belie this being ‘mainstream’) and lyrically, with themes of
religious, political and social disintegration underpinning everything. At
times really catchy – especially on the likes of the album best ‘So Long, and
Thanks for All the Fish’ – but always subversive and strange. This is an album
of dark, twisted ballads, not rock songs. Completely unexpectedly, for me this
is their best ever work.
sample track: So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish