Aped Flair and Hijacked Ideas

Aped Flair And Hijacked Ideas is the tenth studio album by English rock band Black Market Karma, released on September 29, 2022 by Flower Power Records.

It was written by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stanley Belton, notable for its return to a guitar-based sound, featuring vocals on every song after their previous album The Technicolour Liquid Audio Machine being fully instrumental and featuring no guitar.

The release has been aligned with the works of Dylan, The Beatles (White Album), The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spacemen 3, The Small Faces, The Jesus and Mary Chain and early Pink Floyd.

Four music videos were premiered to support the album's release.

Background
The album title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the concept that no music or art is completely original, that all creative expressions are collages drawn from pre-existing material, i.e. "Influence is an infinite web connecting all art."

The closing track Ace’s Trip Through The Cosmic Ether is a eulogy to Belton’s childhood family dog, also featured on the inside artwork of the vinyl release.

Critical Reception
The record has received positive feedback with Clash Magazine's Emma Harrison describing the album as “a bold and ambitious body of work; a cacophony of beguiling melodies, killer hooks and an abundance of playfully distorted wobble”.

The Wee Review's Zoë White praises the album's dexterity, "Black Market Karma’s cerebral tenth project is an impressive display of Belton’s infinitely versatile musicianship and vivid illustrations of the human imagination."

Track listing
All songs written by Stanley Belton except for Kong and A Crying Shame, co-written with Finley Belton.