Les Savy Fav

The Apes

Sunday, 7:30 p.m.

Roboto II, $5…

Les Savy Fav

The Apes

Sunday, 7:30 p.m.

Roboto II, $5

www.therobotoproject.org

Oddball rockers Les Savy Fav and their crazy Frenchkiss labelmates the Apes will stun audiences this weekend when they appear at Roboto II.

The Apes quartet recorded their 2001 debut, The Fugue in the Fog, with an unorthodox lineup consisting of drums, bass, Moog synthesizer, organ and “voices.” The result is a screeching collection of tracks that rarely strays from the formula of a simple organ or Moog melody, crashing percussion, fuzzed-out bass and mostly indecipherable lyrics.

The Apes destroy traditional song structures like a verse-and-chorus setup; the first track, “Intro,” lasts all of three seconds. In the majority of the other tracks, the Apes leave a massive wreckage of noisy riffs and bruising drum breaks in their wake. Les Savy Fav, on the other hand, takes experimentalism in a more listenable direction.

Les Savy Fav’s newest release, Go Forth, is an excellent example of how to alter standard rock music arrangements with more pleasing results, without causing a frenzied ruckus. While the band’s lyrics are cryptic, they can be heard quite clearly within the well-produced mix. Sharp guitar lines, muscular drumming and rhythmic bass augment the vocals. Stylistic diversity makes this band stand out.

Les Savy Fav avoid the tendency of most mainstream punk rockers nowadays to beat their chests over juvenile topics, instead covering more profound subjects like the mentally handicapped, kidnappings and visions of burning bushes that talk about the apocalypse.

The versatility of drummer Harrison Haynes is evident through the album. His ability to easily switch tempos and rhythms makes instant standout tracks out of “Crawling Can Be Beautiful,” which begins with a synthesized dance beat that leads into an accelerated drum and handclap rhythm, and “Disco Drive,” which is somehow reminiscent of an off-key, harsher B-52’s.

Go Forth effectively demonstrates that a slickly produced, wall-of-sound approach is not always necessary to compose a solid tune. While Les Savy Fav can rock out completely, as on “Adopduction,” many other songs, like “The Slip,” emphasize a prominent rhythm over melody. “Daily Dares” spends over two minutes mixing plucked moody guitar and bass notes, sans lyrics, before descending into a deafening finale.

Expect Les Savy Fav to be both cerebral and groovy – that is, if the Apes’ sonic onslaught doesn’t tire you out first.