Music: Apples In Stereo "New Magnetic Wonder"

The recent flury of Apples-related antics has been a dream come true for this long-time (really just 5 years) fan. My love affair with the band came after hearing "Haley" in the dorm room of my friends Jason and Shawn. From there I downloaded allmusic's song picks ("Tidal Wave", "Benefits of Lying (With Your Friend)" and "Avril En Mai" included) and purchased my first two Apples albums: Velocity of Sound and Tone Soul Evolution. It was love. The required purchasing of all singles and albums followed and all was merry in the land of rainbows and streams that run over (where antelopes play). Until the years after Velocity kept creeping by and the tour dates became sporadic and then disappeared. Then Hilarie Sidney (drummer) and Robert Schneider (head Apple) got a divorce, leading to a long period of inactivity and the release of Schneider's solo project, the Marbles album Expo. I had given up. The band was gone.

The rumors about New Magnetic Wonder started circulating a year ago, I'd say, but I was convinced this was going to be a Chinese Democracy, an album with an ever-shifting release date getting pushed back into oblivion. The Apples then started performing again, most notably at the 2006 Athens Popfest which also served as Hilarie's last performance. This led to a tour with the Strokes (which sent me into a planning frenzy as I tried to organize my lack of funds with my life-or-death desire to see two of my favorite bands together...it didn't happen) and them opening up for Architecture in Helsinki in NYC. Which is where I saw them. Which is where I cried. Which is where I finally realized that the band was back. Back and getting guest spots on The Colbert Report and Late Night with Conan O'Brian (tune in tomorrow)

And here I am, a week after New Magnetic Wonder's release. Still listening to it. It's everything an Apples album in 2007 should be. It's almost as if the complete Apples discography has been merged into one album. Here's the evidence:

Fun Trick Noisemaker (1995): the lo-fi bass-heavy thomp of "Sun Is Out"
Tone Soul Evolution (1997): Hilarie's contributions seem to harken back to her wistful contribution on this album, "Silver Chain" and the mid-tempo yearning of "Play Tough"
Her Wallpaper Reverie (1999): the use of linking tracks giving the album a cohesive feel and "Open Eyes," a psychedelic sequel to "Strawberryfire"
The Discovery Of A World Inside The Moone (2000): super produced pop-rockers like "Can You Feel It" and "Same Old Drag"
Velocity Of Sound (2002): the band's kid-friendly approach on the brilliant "Energy"

Even with all these old elements in place, the album's sequencing and introduction of science (for lack of a better word) make it listen like a totally new experience.

The best song on here, so far, is "Energy." Its open honesty about its simple lyrics and golden melody bring tears to my eyes. Seriously, when Robert Schneider sings "it's gonna be alright," a sentiment uttered at least once on every album ever (maybe not on Pretty Hate Machine), I believe him. And I then want to give him a high five.

When I saw the liner notes a month ago on with the name "Sidney" next to two songs, I did a dance. Hilarie Sidney's contributions are always highlights and her departure had me worried. I'm glad she's here for one last time and that her two entries are strong. They're not up there with "I Want" or "20 Cases Suggestive Of..." but they're welcome. I'll miss you, Hilarie.

The rest of the album is a straight-forward four star affair. All the songs are instantly hummable and lovable, but none really leap out over the others. This isn't a bad thing; an album that I can listen to from beginning to end with enthusiasm is a true feat. It's not a great thing, either, since Tone Soul and Moone are littered with five star entries. The constant presence of vocal distortion and vocoders is distracting in places. It feels like a new toy Schneider found and insisted on using on every track. The use on "7 Stars" is straight up awesome and makes the song; the link tracks "Hello Lola" and "Vocoder Ba Ba" come across like a kid showing off. But I respect it's presence throughout the album as a theme.

As far as songs go, I'm still trying to get into the "Beautiful Machine" epic that closes the album, meaning I'm still trying to find the memorable hook in it. And the link track "Pre-Crimson" is one of the creepiest compositions I've ever heard. It's extremely sparse and is punctuated with what sounds like the alien language from Signs. I picture aliens operating on helpless Apples fans when I listen to it. Not a fan.

This is a great return and worthy of all the Apples-hype (which in the grand scheme of pop, there's not much). After a five year hiatus, I'm glad there's another welcome entry to their catalogue.

MY SCORE: 7.5 (out of 10)