HairyApesBMX

HAIRYAPESBMX

Out Demons (We Sell Soul)

As their name implies, HairyApesBMX is not for those with a low tolerance for weirdness. Rather, Austin's Apes cater to those who dig the kind of freaky dance grooves that often emanate from the Mercury. Mixing serious chops, naughty humor, Latin lounge, psychedelics, and NY-style jam-band gymnastics, Out Demons finds former Pearl Jam drummer Dave Abbruzzese reining it all in from the producer's side of the glass. Quasi-instrumental vibraphone-driven opener "Seeing Eye Dog," the Latin-driven booty motor of "No Guerra," and especially the percussion-intense "Cal Dreams" party hard. The title track's chorus is clearly influenced by Dizzy Gillespie's "Salt Peanuts," but this guitarless quintet -- keyboards, mixed sounds, drums, vibraphone, and bass -- push the mood into twisted territory, transmogrifying the song into a Dali-esque farming manual. This proves the band has a good sense of humor, yet a self-indulgent one. Songs like these may be funny the first few times, but with repeated listenings, they grow tiresome as the curiosity factor evaporates. For example, respectable instrumentation can't save the LSD-flavored "Buck Naked Stomp," which never quite rises above novelty status. Same with the repetition in the otherwise-fine "Miss You Cumbia." The band's tack is in the right direction on Out Demons, but a bit too disjointed to make it all the way to freaky-stylee heaven. (Wednesday, March 14, the Mercury, 10pm)