Framework, The Intellect of Apes

I’m conflicted on The Intellect of Apes, the four-song debut EP from Hollywood Black bassist/vocalist Ben Ellis’s Framework solo deal. And yeah, what it boils down to, at least for me, is the religion thing — my heathen self just has a hard time getting past it. I can’t completely explain it, but when somebody’s singing about God, I get this weird twitch.

That said, I do like Intellect quite a bit, and ironically, it’s partly because of Ellis’s focus on his faith and its teachings. While I don’t necessarily get all of his reasons, I definitely feel and empathize with the bitter fury of jangly, speedy “Poverty’s Song,” which nears Billy Bragg at points with its driving rhythm and energy. And Bragg himself would probably agree wholeheartedly with the song’s condemnation of the neverending pursuit of material wealth.

The same goes for the softer, more subtle “Two Party System,” where Ellis acts out a mock trial between politicians on both sides of the aisle (I’ll leave it to you to figure out what those sides might be), finding neither one to be a real answer and declaring that they both need to be blown away. A little dramatic, sure, but hell, I get the raw bitterness there, too — as Ellis jangles and burns, I find myself nodding firmly to myself.

Third track “Christmas Cheer” takes the whole “War on Christmas” theme that gets trotted out every Yuletide season, but thankfully, Ellis doesn’t point the finger at them durn lib’ruls, instead focusing his fire on the rampant consumerism that disgusts, well, pretty much everybody I know, Christian or non. (I do feel the need to point out, though, that Christmas most likely wasn’t when Jesus was born — I’m no farming expert, but I’m fairly sure shepherds don’t sleep outdoors with their flock in the dead of Winter…)

The most affecting song on Intellect, though, is closer “Swallowing Sovereignty,” where Ellis slows down to a deliberate, ’50s pop song tempo, just him, a tambourine, and a guitar. Here Ellis has a flat-out conversation with God, and in the process he doubts and questions, refusing to just shrug and go along with what he’s been taught God should be. Which makes complete sense to me, since every single person’s faith is an utterly personal, individual thing at heart; general skeptic that I am, it’s not faith that bugs me, but unquestioning, blind faith.

In the end, Intellect is an intriguing musical journal of sorts, Ben Ellis chronicling the ups and downs of his own faith and the way it works within the shell of the modern world. And while I still feel that twitch occasionally, y’know, I think I finally do get it.