Can You Feel It?
My friend Tyler introduced me to Apples in Stereo back in the late 90s. I found their jangly, sunny, hook-infested pop quite charming and inspired. If Daniel Johnston had never developed mental illness, he may have started a band like the Apples. After 2002’s disappointing “Ramones on helium” Velocity of Sound, the latest Apples release, New Magnetic Wonder, is a strong return to musical form. What prevents me from considering the Apples in Stereo a great band can be summed up in one word: lyrics. Front man Robert Schneider can conjure a tune that will stick in your head for weeks, but for some reason, he continues to write lyrics that are often maddeningly simple. I can’t help it, I need my pop lyrics to be clever, funny, or strange. After all, how many songs can you write about suns, moons and stars? Don’t ask. So after the first few listens, I wanted to give New Magnetic Wonder a mixed review. But then, those sunny songs infected my brain. They wouldn’t go away. And soon the lyrics didn’t matter that much anymore. In fact, they fit the music perfectly. Damn you, Schneider! The truth is, New Magnetic Wonder, is a great album. It makes you feel good. And what the hell’s wrong with that?
What do you see when you are
inside a star, inside a star?What do you do when you are young?
Stare at the sun, stare at the sunDid you perceive at the time
that you were blind, that you were blind?
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