There's something surprising about the new EP from Martin Gore, beyond the title. The Third Chimpanzee, out on Friday via Mute, is full of appropriately-named tracks, each a bracing instrumental. The surprising thing is how engaging this is, and how furtive the beats and exploratory the keyboard passages.
"Howler" is restless, beats and electronic textures jostling for a place at the center of the composition, while "Mandrill" is even better. Eerie and unsettling, this one recalls tracks on not only older Depeche Mode albums, but ones by Peter Gabriel. Elsewhere, "Vervet" is more contemplative, as much as can be expected with the clatterings around it subsumed a bit, while closer "Howler's End" succeeds atop a simple, plaintive keyboard hook that wouldn't have sounded out of place on an old Frank Tovey and Fad Gadget record. Martin Gore here clearly is willing to take a few risks and The Third Chimpanzee is an EP that rewards a listener and fan eager to hear another side of the legendary Mode member.
The Third Chimpanzee is out on Friday via Mute.
More details via the official Martin Gore website.
[Photo: Travis Shinn]