REVIEW: Apples In Stereo, The Discovery of a World
Inside the Moone
- John Davidson
Going where many indie snobs refuse to acknowledge, the Elephant Six Recording Company has never hidden their love of melody; they've simply found ways to make it more interesting. It's a modernized time warp where the Beatles, Brian Wilson, the Zombies, and others never need cower to the appeal of Korn, Kid Rock, or the Backstreet Boys. Rather, Elephant Six provides a forum for groups to stretch the limits of pop music without becoming cloyingly artistic, without losing the sunny appeal that comes with a memorable hook.
And to that, all things Elephant Six seem to branch out from Robert Schneider and his main project, The Apples In Stereo. While other bands in the stable may be more colorfully ambitious (see Olivia Tremor Control) or more folk than pop (see Neutral Milk Hotel), the Apples have always had the closest bloodline to Revolver and Pet Sounds, thus representing a great hope for life above the underground. First was the slightly spacey Fun Trick Noisemaker, (1995) sort of a paen to Syd Barrett fronting the Byrds. Next was the astounding Tone Soul Evolution (1998), an album that more or less threw the best of Yo La Tengo and Pavement into a Beatles party with Phil Spector at the boards. Along the way, there have been the requisite singles, comp appearances, last year's nifty psychedelic EP, and a lot of touring to tighten the sound so if you add in the various side groups and Schneider's heavy production duties with the other E6 bands, it's a wonder there was time to even consider another album.
Yet 2000 brings in the finest Apples album yet. The Discovery of a World Inside the Moon confronts our lives through kaleidoscope eyes without ever leaving the masses behind. Not a lot of dots, loops, or dream sequences, just a lot of accessible fun with enough edge to keep the college kids interested. It's got the soul flair of Beck ("The Bird That You Can't See") and none of the drippy baggage. It's got nods to the Flaming Lips ("20 Cases Running Over.") but never wanders unchecked. It's clever ("Allright / Not Quite") without being smarmy. Most of all, with songs like "Go", Discovery isn't radio ready, but radio friendly.
If anything, the Apples are restrained somewhat by a strong 70s vibe, one that leads more in the Sly direction than ever before. Schneider has a rather weak, reedy voice and despite the comely melodies, this kind of music gets routinely lumped as more nostalgic than visionary. Still, kids of today were raised more by Nirvana than the Strawberries or the Kinks, so hopefully Discovery won't seem moldy with familiarity--an album this good hurdles its influences to become something altogether timeless anyhow. Here's to hoping that alternative can slip into the mainstream once again.
