The Apples In Stereo are back - and it could be said that they are better than ever. In 2007, we saw the Elephant 6 indie gods release New Magnetic Wonder, an epic 24-track album that I assumed would be the height of their powers. Frontman Robert Schneider had molded his utter brilliance for sonic psychedelia and melody into intuitive pop songs that were so good that it seemed you had already knew them for years. For their next project, Travellers in Space and Time, the Apples achieve something that was seemingly impossible: they have made disco cool again.
Schneider and The Apples in Stereo have always been classified as having a faint Jeff Lynne/ELO influence, but on Travellers they embrace that comparison and re-ignite the qualities that made the Light Orchestra so darn fun to listen to back in the day (hell, the intro to "Dignified Dignitary" is practically a dead ringer for the iconic opening to ELO's "Do Ya"). The songs are infused with driving dance beats, swirling string pieces, and the trademark childish wonder of Schneider's vocals. Set in a futuristic setting where music is ruled by vocoders and synths, Travellers is more like a back to the future gem. True to Apples in Stereo form, this album makes it fun to be a little geeky and unapologetically poppy to the very end.
The most noticeable thing when I began listening to Travellers is how seemingly effortless it is for the band to emit perfectly fun and upbeat pop songs. If there is a formula for writing a pop song, these guys have either discovered it or they were the ones who created the formula themselves. After a brief futuristic narration a la Fun Trick Noisemaker, the album jumps right into a bubbling song called "Dream About the Future" which is very similar to New Magnetic Wonder's opener, "Can You Feel It?" but with a much more distinct dance feel to it. If you were detecting disco, all questions are answered on "Hey Elevator", which is dripping with synthesizer overlays and electronic drum. Next comes a vocoder segue called "Strange Solar System" that will sound familiar to Apples fans which leads into one of the jewels of the album, "Dance Floor". There is no hidden meaning in the title - it is pure, unblemished disco presented masterfully by Schneider, who it seems to me like he was destined to rule the dance clubs all along after I listened to this song.
Just because the Apples in Stereo have embraced disco, doesn't mean they have ditched their roots, however. Tracks like "C.P.U", "No One In The World", and "It's All Right" show off their winning equation of sonic guitar + quirky melody = awesome pop - though "It's All Right" features an interesting back-and-forth tussle between classic Apples and disco Apples. Furthermore, Travellers never really loses steam in its second half, and for a 16-track album it's essential that it changes pace a little bit. The Apples accomplish this by featuring some great contributions of new band members John Dufilho (formerly of The Deathray Davies) and Bill Doss (of Olivia Tremor Control fame). It's last great track is "Nobody But You", a final ode to Lynne and ELO as it parallels their timeless "Evil Woman".
It's clear that the Apples in Stereo are still on top of the game and have reached the point where they can change genres without losing quality or accessibility. Robert Schneider is in the most prolific songwriting period of his career, and I hope that there's more material waiting in the pipeline to delight my ear buds for the very near future.
