The Apples in Stereo, Electronic Projects for Musicians
A B-sides and rarities collection from one of indie rock's most consistent bands.
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.
