Where the Redneck Manifesto appear brimming with intent and fury, the music of The Redneck’s Richie Egan’s other vehicle, Jape, is beautifully lilting and celebratory.
‘Reminding Me’ is fleshy with euphoria and beachy calm, while ‘Floating’ manages to capture the charm and cool of the likes of Folk Implosion. Like his sometime collaborator David Kitt, Egan does an enviable and neat line in simple yet masterful songs, while managing to retain a sense of laid-back, bed-headed simplicity. Egan’s music,
It may be dotted with broad stokes of lo-fi perfection as perfected by the likes of Pavement, but the canvas is also dotted with the pastoral innocence of Badly Drawn Boy. In all, The Monkeys… is evidence enough that Jape is more than ready for that often elusive crossover.
The monkeys in the zoo may have more fun than Egan, but not for long. At least he can draw some consolation from the fact that they’ll never get the opportunity to tour such an overwhelmingly charming album while they’re being hosed down by the zoo-keepers.

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