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Average: 3.5 (35 ratings)
- Date Released: April 1, 2008
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Pop, Rock
- Label: Yep Roc Records / Redeye
A B-sides and rarities collection from one of indie rock's most consistent bands.
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We Say...
Finding a common thread between songs on the average b-sides and rarities collection usually takes the knowledge of a devoted fan, but the Apples in Stereo’s Electronic Projects has the cohesion of a full-fledged album. The fact that songs drawn from as far apart as 1993 and 2006 sounds just fine next to each other is either a compliment to the band’s consistency or a indication that they’ve been stuck in one heck of a rut. But when the landscape is this pleasant, who cares if you’re running in place?
Singer, songwriter and studio obsessive Robert Schneider is a pop enthusiast at heart. Rather than camouflaging his influences, he stacks them in a teetering pile, laying breathy falsetto vocals on top of vintage power-pop strains and mixing in the occasional space-age whooshes and bleeps. The songs hit veins like a sugar rush, but the best ones are tart as well as sweet, undergirded by melancholy and a sense of loss.
Gathered from Japanese bonus tracks, flexidiscs and an unnamed CD-R comp, the songs on Electronic Projects hail from hither and yon. “Avril en mai” is ersatz French pop, while “Stephen Stephen” pays fever-brained tribute to the host of The Colbert Report. Those who are already in the Apples’ corner won’t hesitate to indulge, but even newcomers should find plenty to whet their appetites. -
They Say...
Electronic Projects for Musicians is the second collection of stray tracks by the Apples in Stereo. The first, Science Faire, appeared in 1996 and covered the early days of the band before the release of Fun Trick Noisemaker. This disc rounds up songs included as bonus tracks on Japanese editions of their albums, split-single tracks, B-sides, and some previously unavailable tracks. It misses songs the band placed on compilations (""Time for Bed"" from Lemonlime, Vol. 1) and soundtracks (""Signal in the Sky (Let's Go"") on the Powerpuff Girls soundtrack), so it can't be considered a complete document of their output. One also realizes as the disc goes on that the Apples didn't save any of their best songs for bonus tracks and B-sides. They are all solid examples of the band's unique blend of indie sweetness, psychedelic experimentation, and solid songcraft. A few songs do stand out though That being said, the real gems on the collection are the shimmering rocker ""Shine (In Your Mind"") (from Fun Trick Noisemaker), the utterly dreamy ""The Oasis"" (which appeared on a Kindercore collection and as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone) and the previously unreleased ""Dreams,"" which would have been a very nice addition to the Tone Soul Evolution album. A song that stands out for all the wrong reasons is ""Stephen Stephen,"" the joky and cloying track the band recorded for The Colbert Report. The band's love for the host of the show may indeed be real, but the song has the feel of a desperate grab for attention and feels totally out of place in the band's catalog. It's not enough of a glitch to deter a fan of the band from needing this collection of typically great music. Especially if they didn't have the means to track down all the Japanese releases and singles featured here.
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You Say...
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| 01. |  |
Shine (In Your Mind) |
3:37 |  |
| 02. | |
Thank You Very Much |
1:03 | |
| 03. | |
Onto Something |
2:14 | |
| 04. | |
Man You Gotta Get Up |
3:01 | |
| 05. | |
The Golden Flower |
3:05 | |
| 06. | |
Avril En Mai |
2:10 | |
| 07. | |
Hold On To This Day |
3:21 | |
| 08. | |
The Oasis |
2:09 | |
| 09. | |
On Your Own |
1:55 | |
| 10. | |
Other |
2:19 | |
| 11. | |
So Far Away |
4:25 | |
| 12. | |
The Apples Theme Song |
1:18 | |
| 13. | |
Stephen Stephen |
1:50 | |
| 14. | |
Dreams |
3:43 | |
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14 Total Tracks, 36:10 Total Length
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Credits
- Fred Kevorkian - Mastering // Hilarie Sidney - Percussion // Hilarie Sidney - Drums // Hilarie Sidney - Vocals // Hilarie Sidney - Vocals (Background) // Hilarie Sidney - Lead // Hilarie Sidney - Group Member // Chris McDuffie - Keyboards // Chris McDuffie - Vocals (Background) // Chris McDuffie - Instrumentation // Chris McDuffie - Group Member // Ron Marschall - Assistant Engineer // Steve Keene - Artwork // Dave Laney - Design // Robert Schneider - Guitar // Robert Schneider - Vocals // Robert Schneider - Vocals (Background) // Robert Schneider - Producer // Robert Schneider - Instrumentation // Robert Schneider - Lead // Robert Schneider - Group Member
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