The Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder

When the Elephant 6 collective first began putting out records in the mid-1990s, teen angst and raw grunge pop dominated the airwaves, making the E6’s baroque psychedelia a whimsical reference to a bygone age. Since then, neo-psych has become the chief aesthetic of much of indie culture: from the orchestral ambitions of Sufjan Stevens to the brown acid bombast of Comets on Fire. In this milieu, the Apples in Stereo–perhaps the most definitive E6 band of the collective’s heyday–return with a whopper, the epic, 24-track ‘New Magnetic Wonder’, and a lesson for the droners in what a psych revival can be. Keyboardist Bill Doss, bassist Eric Allen, guitarist John Hill, and new drummer John Dufilho (ex-Deathray Davies) join Apples mastermind Robert Schneider in a blissed-out parade of kaleidoscopic pop with enough headphone candy to satisfy the stoners plus melodies for the soccer moms. ‘New Magnetic Wonder’ is full of positive anthems: “Can You Feel It?” kicks off the album like a rush of musical serotonin, while “Energy” reinvigorates lyrical platitudes (”the world is made of energy/and the world is the possibility”) with tent-revival enthusiasm. The backwards piano trickery and interlocking riffs of “Same Old Drag” refute the negativity of its title, while “Sun is Out” relocates Guided By Voices’ basement on McCartney’s “Penny Lane.” Learning from other definitive neo-psych moments such as XTC’s ‘Skylarking’ and the Stone Roses’ debut, ‘New Magnetic Wonder’ keeps its hooks in abundance and sounds referential without ever sounding dated. A swirling thrill.

1. Can You Feel It?
2. Skyway
3. Mellotron 1
4. Energy
5. Same Old Drag
6. Joanie Don’t U Worry
7. Sunndal Song
8. Droplet
9. Play Tough
10. Sun Is Out
11. Non-Pythagorean Composition 1
12. Hello Lola
13. 7 Stars
14. Mellotron 2
15. Sunday Sounds
16. Open Eyes
17. Crimson
18. Pre-Crimson
19. Vocoder Ba Ba
20. Radiation
21. Beautiful Machine Parts 1-2
22. Beautiful Machine Parts 3-4
23. My Pretend
24. Non-Pythagorean Composition (Locked Groove)

Click For Download