The Wheel's Still In Spin: The Apples In Stereo

Release Date: 6 February 2007 (Elephant 6 / Simian / Yep Roc)

Drenched with the same layered pop music The Apples In Stereo have made popular with the Elephant 6 label they founded, New Magnetic Wonder, includes keyboard and guitar hooks, do-do and bah-bah background vocals, and cowbells. Mixed with the updated ELO and Beach Boy sounds are some short “link tracks” and the introduction of a new musical scale.

Energy (video - directed by Elijah Wood)

The Sun Is Out PART 1 (video) | The Sun Is Out PART 2 (video) | The Sun Is Out PART 3 (video) | The Sun Is Out PART 4 (video)

The Sun Is Out is a documentary by David Gray. It follows The Apples in stereo as they record New Magnetic Wonder.

A Mathematical Puzzle

Kyle and Ian rarely disagreed. They would often play devil’s advocate for the other’s research, but that was merely to substantiate scientific theses. The cause of this dispute was a puzzle. It was a jigsaw of computer generated, algorithmic artwork, an image of a three dimensional spiral that changed colors at it wrapped itself around its own axis.

“Why do we need to finish the puzzle?” Kyle asked rhetorically. “If I know what the full picture is and can tell you exactly where each of those remaining pieces fit, why do I need to waste my time putting the pieces together?”

“I can’t believe you would ask that! It’s about the completion of the artwork.”

“But my mind has already completed it. I can see every piece. So I’d rather spend my time working on something I find more important.”

Perhaps this argument was based on something more abstract. The theoretical physicists were listening to the new Apples In Stereo CD, New Magnetic Wonder, as they put this puzzle together.

Kyle has been studying space-time equations and supports the Variable Speed of Light theory. His research has dealt with wavelength observations. He is engrossed in Robert Schneider’s “Non-Pythagorean” scale as a new way of creating music. To him, it is as inspiring to music as João Magueijo and John Moffat are to the Variable Speed of Light.

Ian, whose research has focused on dark matter, noticed the lyrics of album. “Skyway” mentions “Forty lessons you may hear from the sun/ you never listened to a single one.” “7 Stars,” with a little bit of vocoder background vocals and guitar pop, declares “And you don’t even know my name/ and I know every constellation.” His favorite line is from “Open Eyes.” “What do you see when you’re inside a star?”

“This was supposed to be just for fun,” said Ian about the puzzle. “If you’re not going to enjoy it, just go do whatever you want to do. I need a little mental break and I’m going to finish this puzzle.”

“I want to hear that album again,” Kyle said with a sigh. In addition to being a theoretical physicist, Kyle was an electronic music composer. He did want to hear the album again, but he really wanted to play with the wave files that accompany the CD. With his midi keyboard and some software, he was going to begin composing some songs with these new musical intervals. “I guess I’ll keep working on the puzzle with you.”

“Can You Feel It?” began to play on the small, computer speakers in Kyle’s office and the two got back to putting the puzzle together. This song starts with a “Non-Pythagorean” chord and then becomes a guitar-heavy pop song about listening to music. It also has a quick quip on the current state of the music industry with the lyric “Uh oh uh oh turn up your stereo/ Uh oh uh oh drown out the bullshit on the FM radio.”

Kyle was putting the pieces into place with considerable speed. The third track, “Energy,” came on. It continues the use of cowbell, keyboards, and guitars. For these scientists, the lyrics deal with a subject matter to which they both can relate.

A lot of the songs on this album fit the typical Apples In Stereo sonic formula, a pop music formula, of 2 verses, a chorus, a solo, a verse, a chorus, and another solo section. In some ways, the group is producing music that sounds like their previous albums. In other contexts, they are offering something very new.

The album contain 24 tracks – 14 full songs and 10 small, “link tracks” to connect compositions together. Some of the link tracks are vocoder vocal sections, others are mellotron compositions, and two of them are written with the “Non-Pythagorean” scale. The full songs have a familiar sound with layers of guitars, keyboards, mellotrons, and more. The ELO, Beach Boy, and Beatles influences are very evident.

Ultimately, Schneider and company have created a beautiful pop album. As Ian listens to it for escapism, it is catchy and full of hooks. There is also more information and experimentation than the surface shows. Delving into enhanced portions of the CD, Kyle can see, hear, and try out Robert Schneider’s new “Non-Pythagorean” scale, which is based on a new set of algebraic intervals. It’s an upbeat, pop album, but it can be a doorway into a lot more if need be.

www.applesinstereo.com

www.myspace.com/theapplesinstereo

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