THE APPLES IN STEREO
New Magnetic Wonder
Yep Roc
· Elephant Six popsters make the jump to Yep Roc and release their first proper album in five years.
The high water mark for The Apples in Stereo is "Tidal Wave," the lead-off track from 1995’s Fun Trick Noisemaker. As a straight-up good-time rock song, they have never been better before or since. That said, their fifth album, New Magnetic Wonder, holds a few surprises.
The Apples in Stereo have always been less psych than most of their Elephant Six brethren and it has always been to their credit. Producer Bryce Goggins takes the band in new sonic directions on the 24 tracks that make up New Magnetic Wonder, but it is never mired in studio trickery. Veering from the Pheonix-like shuffle of "Same Old Drag," to the sunny piano pop of "Can You Feel It?" the focus is definitely on good times. The true strength of this album lies in "Energy," a jangly rocker that succeeds despite its hippy-dippy lyrics. It’s much harder to pen a convincing happy pop song than it is a teary-eyed weeper. This album is jammed with the former and The Apples in Stereo make it sound effortless.
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