Ebola Ape - Dance in Haze

I always love the odd projects that are submitted into the site for review no matter what they are, especially since they usually kinda fall into weird categories. And, well, to say it simply, Σbol∆ ∆PΣ is quite a weird witch house project that may have lost its way finding this site. Part rap, hip hop inspired witch house all based around a gorilla, once captured and jailed in Europe, then escaped, who now resides in northern Europe by that baltic Sea, he makes music using old analogue synthesizers and samples. So, open your mind to Ebo.

Lombok kicks off the album with sounds of birds, slowly followed by nice a little beat with fades in and out. The simply put out "Yo," just really was not necessary in the beginning of the track, as it really just has been used in practically every song ever and has become a rotten cliche to use. The vocal work is usually high pitched, child like chords with deeper pitched voices. Not necessarily the best in the world, but it passes.

Soulbreaker featuring an artist named Izes was much better presented, ridding any stereotypes from the song and more or less focusing on creating a unique beat over digitally fucked vocals. Nice little song right there.

Lighthood was absolutely fantastic in every sense of the word. A sort of sacred hymn is played out with choral samplings, sounding a bit tribal once the drum work kicks in. The vocals were presented by another artist by the name of Lovisa, and her chords went perfectly along with the dragging beats and Holy sounds of the track. Very well done.

Back to Uluwatu I couldn't get into at all or by far. Wasn't really a huge fan of the rap inspired lyrics or tone with the deep, deep pitched backing vocals that made it sound like Darth Vader was doing his best to become MC of the Galactic Empire. It was quite a shame to go from such a beautiful song to this one. I suppose the addition of the artist Moth may have been the downfall of this song. Same can be said for the next song, Honest. Perhaps if there was less focus on making yourself sing about bitches, money, and everything else that's standard for the genre, and more of an effort to actually create deeper lyrics, I could have enjoyed this a lot more.

However, getting off that note, Tribulations was a fantastic song that maintained a pretty ambient atmosphere. The female backing vocals paired with the male's was a nice touch, though I still say that the addition of hearing, "Yo" in the lyrics annoyed me beyond reason. However, once past that, it was a pretty radical addition to the album.

Sigh was perhaps the best solo effort I heard from the artist on this album thus far. A nice deep driving musical line with really decent, but brief vocal work was awesome. The synth lines, and the overall static of the song making it sound like a vintage, but lost work of the olden days was a nice touch. Extremely well done.

Lord Boolz featured an artist named Boolz. The beat was nice, and the mainly untouched vocals were also a nice touch, as well. I think the delivery of the line was a bit off from the beat, though, and that needed to be worked upon. Wasn't really sure what language Maluku was sung in, but the almost chanting-like produce that came from it was nice and swell.

Dance In Haze had another nice tone to it, but the deep pitched vocals were just a bit too humorous for me to take seriously. Paired with the higher pitched vocals, I really just couldn't take this song well without smiling every now and then.

And the last song on the album was Irian featuring Call Me Back. A bit shocking to say, but this song kind of strayed away from witch house and brought us to more of a dark ambient soundscape. Well touched, well worked, this was another instrumental to behold. And a great way to leave me off.

Now, this gorilla knows how to make some music. And good music at that. Although I know that rap inspired vocals is something that this act takes pride in, I felt that the uneasy balance between the music and the transmission of the lines really fucked up a few of the songs that I could have enjoyed otherwise. If it can't be fixed to an enjoyable level, then I do think it should be dropped overall.

That being said, Ebo is fantastic at mixing and creating witch house sounds that can absolutely fascinate me. Whether it was Lombok, Tribulations or Sigh, each one of those songs came out wonderfully. His collaboration efforts with Izes, Lovisa, and Call Me Back were each highlights in their own respect, and I would absolutely love to hear from each of the respected artists.

And, although I had much criticism for the album, I am hoping that it was constructive. But, this is one of those albums where the good outweighs the bad by far. Mainly problems facing vocal delivery plagued it, but the music was always a joy to discover. So, keep at it, Ebo; I'm looking forward to more of your beats later on down the line. Jul 18 2014