The Apples in Stereo: "New Magnetic Wonder"

There came a time that the true meaning of pop music was lost in popular culture. Somewhere along the line Britney Spears, *Nsync, and dozens of other now-forgotten "artists" came to exemplify pop as a here-today, gone-tomorrow music made to satisfy the wallets of record label executives more than the public. And while the pop explosion of the late 90s came and went, The Apples in Stereo were subtly staying true to what pop music was all about. Over a decade after the band released their debut album, The Apples in Stereo are back with their first new album in about 5 years, "New Magnetic Wonder." For fans of The Apples, it's been quite a long time coming.

The album starts out about as strong as The Apples have ever sounded, with a vocoderized "Turn up the stereo-o" leading into a full-fledged guitar driven pop-rock sing along called "Can You Feel It?" Here, Robert Scheider's unique voice calls out "Oh, Turn up the stereo! Oh, drown out the static on the FM radio!" It's an amazing way to start out the album, and a fantastic toe-tapper at that! The opener runs head-on into "Skyway," yet another great guitar and vocal-driven pop song, complete with an all-too-catchy "Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo" complementing the chorus.

Taking a page right out of former Elephant 6 pioneers, The Olivia Tremor Control's, playbook, "New Magnetic Wonder" almost has as many short sub-minute tracks as it does full-fledged pop songs (10 to be exact). While these tracks can be somewhat distracting to the overall feel of the album, they also serve as quick-breathers on what would otherwise be a non-stop upbeat pop album. On that note, both "Mellotron Pt. 1" and "Mellotron Pt.2" are kind of funny to listen to, if only to hear The Apples in Stereo try their best at lo-fi 40s lounge music. It seems as if a few of these tracks are just excuses to play around on a vocoder, but some, like "Non-Pythagorean Composition Pt. 1" are just really short, beautiful instrumental songs.

"Energy" is a spirited affair that just begs to be clapped along to. It's highlighted by it's incredibly catchy chorus where Schneider sings, "And the world is made of energy. And there's a lot inside of you. And there's a lot inside of me." "Same Old Drag" is piano-heavy pop song that's hard not to consider perfect, at least when it comes to pop music. Of course, an album with 24 tracks is sure to have it's set of missteps, but The Apples are fortunate to have these kept to a minimum. "Sun Is Out" is more of a repetitive meditation than an actual song, and at over two-minutes, no one's going to blame you for skipping ahead.

Other highlights of the album include "Sunndal Song" and "Sunday Sounds" both sung beautifully by drummer Hilarie Sidney, as well as the heavy pop-rock sounds of "7 Stars" and "Open Eyes." Above all, however, is probably "Beautiful Machines," a powerful 4-part song that's played out over 2 tracks. By the time Part 4 comes around, you'll have forgotten that you're listening to The Apples in Stereo, as it sounds more like Doves or even Snow Patrol. Of course, the band is sure to remind you who you're listening to with the short, yet catchy "My Pretend," a song that caps off a wonderful album flawlessly.

The Apples in Stereo have been out of the indie music scene for some time now. During that time, other bands have risen up and tried to take their place at the top of the indie pop-rock totem pole. Though The Apples may have died long ago in the minds of many hipsters and college students, true fans have been eagerly anticipating this album for some time. They will not be disappointed. "New Magnetic Wonder" not only brings The Apples in Stereo back from the dead, but it puts all the lesser, would-be dethroners in their rightful place; miles below this great, American band.

Key Tracks:
1. "Can You Feel It?"
2. "Energy"
3. "Same Old Drag"
4. "7 Stars"
5. "Beautiful Machines"

7 out of 10 Stars