December 2, 2010 | 10:55 AM | By

Philly Local Philes: Early Ape’s “Human Zoo”

FILED UNDER: Artists, Downloads, Recordings, Early Ape, Philly Local Philes, The Grape Room
Early Ape

Nate Rylan knows a thing or two about music. The singer and guitarist at the helm of Early Ape had damn well better; he teaches it for a living at Independent Rock (an offshoot of Paul Green School of Rock, where he got his start). His band’s songs have a learned sense of keys, chord changes, time signatures, and music-theory thingamabobs that us civilians might not notice immediately—but those in the trenches will tell you make the difference between a song that’s merely okay and a piece of pop perfection. Early Ape definitely skews towards the latter; the band’s self-titled debut EP had a serious Pernice Brothers feel, and its new Science Colony sounds very A.C. Newman. Especially this cut, “Human Zoo,” a hooky number that furthers Early Ape’s evident thematic fixation. Sci-fi power pop, perhaps? To that end, I challenge Rylan to write a song with a chorus that goes “You maniacs! You blew it up! Damn you!” Not only am I sure he can do it, I’m sure it will be awesome. Early Ape performs with 28 North, Jeff Thomas, and Eric Bazilian, Saturday, December 4th, at The Grape Room; tickets to the 21+ show are $7.