the Apples In Stereo
Science Faire CD
SpinArt. spart48.
by Keith McLachlan.
December 26, 1996.
See more about this title.
Out of Stock.
What we have here is a compilation of all the Apples singles up to now
and what we also have here is a remarkable album full of wholly
unpretentious, cosmically sunny pop. Feeling, perhaps, a little less
ambitious than their Elephant 6 cohorts the Apples seem to specialize
in perfect vocal harmonies, catchy sing-along choruses and songs that,
funnily enough, I can relate too. Robert Schneider undoubtedly has a
perfect pop song in him, but you should give these nearly perfect
songs a try while you wait for it to arrive. How wonderful that fun
should come back into vogue in pop music.
the Apples In Stereo
The Discovery Of The World Inside The Moone CD
SpinArt. spart 83.
by Keith McLachlan.
May 10, 2000.
See more about this title.
Out of Stock.
Like it or not sometimes pop music is about judgement. If you lack the
good sense to edit out all the crap well then you sometimes are left with
just the crap. Robert Schneider is often seen sporting a beard these
days. What does that say of his judgement? I mean who knows of anyone
whom actually wears facial hair to accentuate their appearance? No one.
Usually it is some lazy dude who can't bear to reach for that disposable
bic one more time and decides you know a beard would make my life so much
easier than the daily grind of having to lather and scrape, freedom at
last, cast aside the drudgery for a token trim every few months and
imagine how much I will save on shaving cream.
But beards are a sign of poor judgement, no one looks good in a beard except maybe for Santa Claus and I bet he shaves his to get through the dog days of summer. So what does Rob Schneider's beard tell us about the new record? Probably that he was doing lots of inhaling, probably that he has moved into the dreaded Foghat emulation phase of songwriting and also that he thinks he is mature enough to successfully pull off the beard motif.
Maybe he developed a liking for the bearded look during the Apples many tours since their last full length release. Lord knows they must have toured the country 10 times in that time and there isn't always a rite-ad open 24 hours in Biloxi. I dunno.
I do know that the touring certainly made him a much better guitar player and my eardrums are suffering for his new found competence. Therefore, what we have here seems to be the Apples answer to Iron Butterfly. Flying the American flag high and proud they have brought back the heinous tradition of butt rawk. This is all fist pumping riffs, bad singing and a general atmosphere nearly as ugly as a New York Knicks/Miami Heat playoff game. These songs go on for days or maybe it only seems like they do and they really do not make any sense in the grand scheme of a band that once seemed destined to break the science of Brian Wilson songs into a uniquely mile high flavour of bubblegum.
And sadly, it appears, the once promising Elephant 6 is a shambles made only sillier by this record. E6 is releasing unlistenable dirges from the likes of Music Tapes and Frosted Ambassador, the Olivia Tremor Control have split, Neutral Milk Hotel is off writing stories for children of circus performers and the one ray of hope Of Montreal don't have a new album available until october or so. And these apples? Rotten.
the Apples In Stereo
Tone Soul Evolution CD
SpinArt. spart 57.
by Keith McLachlan.
December 28, 1997.
See more about this title.
Out of Stock.
The Apples are the Paul Molitor of indiepop, solid .300 hitters, strong
in the clutch but lacking that superstar quality that will get them that
huge shoe contract from Nike. You see cause this album is fantastic,
totally upbeat and gloriously sing-song sing-alongey, but there is no
'Wouldn't It Be Nice' or 'Strawberry Fields' and for that they are certain
to be taken lightly by many.
There is not a single duff track here and Robert Schneider is resembling Robert Scott in many ways, both physically and in his endless library of instantly catchy pop hooks from which he chooses to create one perfect pop song after another. There are a good deal of similarities to the debut lp here and also a fair amount of influences to be detected from Robert's work with the other Elephant 6 bands, the psychedelic splashes similar to Olivia Tremor Control in 'The Silverey Light of a Dream' the muted horns in 'Shine a Light' ala Neutral Milk Hotel and on Hillary's lone contribution 'Silver Chain' which not surprisingly sounds like a Secret Square track.
The best tracks here are as good as any they have written, the incessant chug of 'We'll Come to Be' a song which has become my favourite live Apples number, the wistfully Beatlesque ballad 'About Your Fame' and the cherubic number 'Tin Pan Alley'. The whole record is incredibly optimistic and uplifting and for that Robert should be championed, well that and the fact that he is tugging a good amount of people along for the ride with a bunch of tunes and tons of good vibes, yaayyy!!!!
Aquadays
Electric Songs CD
Apricot. apricd006.
by Keith Mclachlan.
January 19, 2000.
See more about this title.
Out of Stock.
Another case of expectations far outweighing eventual reality. How was I
supposed to know that Aquadays only two songs were already included on
Airpop?
Yea though I may long to be fair and I try to be enlightened it is hard to not stereotype entire nations based on their brand of pop music. I mean the Swedes are beautiful surely but their music is a bit anemic and pale much like their fabled characteristic physical appearance.
Of course this record sounds very professional and manicured a bit like a supermodel using the dalkon shield. This has been long delayed because of the spate of failures among independent labels (Dorian records was originally intent on releasing this) in the less than friendly to capitalists Sweden, or at least that is the stated cause, but perhaps the truth is closer to being that this album is just not very good. It is impeccably mannered and incredibly boring, sorta like Daniel Day Lewis in 'A Room with a View' only the singer sings with less inflection and with about as much warmth as the side of Venus that is not facing the sun.
These are the times one takes comfort in having a girlfriend who is even more of an impulsive record shopper than myself for she saved me a few kroner by rushing out and buying this long before i had the chance and for this I am truly thankful in this the season of giving.
Arling And Cameron
All In CD
Emperor Norton. EMN 7017.
by Keith McLachlan.
March 21, 1999.
See more about this title.
Out of Stock.
Though their fashion sense is unassailable, especially the candid photo
of the two boys all decked out in matching denim and Jesus shoes their
musical karma is a bit too sterile for my tastes. They love dancing,
they love to rock and they love dub but sadly it all seems to be love
of the unrequited sort as this comes off more like the latest version
of 'Pitfall' on your Commodore 64 than anything that will get your bum
off the couch and skankin' and groovin' all through the night. Is it
too kitschy and clever for me? Maybe but it lacks the euro-cool that
is found in bands like Mouse on Mars and Stereo Total and it is just
dork to the nth power, in other words it sounds German. Mathematics is
completely relevant in a discussion of the music for it is definitely
a closed system to be enjoyed probably only by its creators, who seem
fascinated with things like TI-98s and slide rules, and a few people
who think that the beep and the click are the future of music as we
know it. This record then, for the rest of us, save the fourth number
'speeding down the highway' which almost qualifies as groovy, this
record is tepid at best and even the omnipresent silly children
samples won't be enough to keep us from turning on the latest episode
of 'Change of Heart' and hey you know maybe that makes me think that
before you buy this record you should take a spin on the dance floor
with some other CDs that might have all the spark that seems to be
missing on this CD.
Arnold
Hillside CD
Creation. csk41121.
by Keith McLachlan.
August 9, 1998.
See more about this title.
Out of Stock.
Cool! I feel like a real reviewer
as I have this lp nearly a full two months before it is released here in
the US and I only paid less than the cost of the sunday paper to get it.
So maybe my good luck has tainted my opinion? Maybe, but this record is
pretty darn good and considering it is on Creation (where all the hyped
bands stink while the good ones twist in the wind) and Arnold is tabbed
the next big thing, well, that was a shock.
It is all quiet (well except for two or three songs) and acousticey and eclectic and filled with lovely singing and restraint. Sorta like the real quiet moments of Radiohead mixed with a little Elliot Smith action. I might say I prefer it over Elliot Smith in fact but it is not nearly as refined as Radiohead.
14 official songs plus a nice one tacked on at the end as a hidden untitled track. The first single 'Fleas Don't Fly', which is probably where the Joy Division comparison comes from although I think that is a stretch, is particularly swoony but the whole lp tastes a lot like chicken without the carcinogens.