Magnolia Thunderpussy

Reviews:

Even the most cursory listen to the new Apples in Stereo album, Velocityof Sound, will inspire an obvious question: Who put the Benzedrine in RobertSchneider's Ovaltine? After an early canon that has consisted of some beautifullyconstructed dream pop, Schneider turns everything up to a Spinal Tappish 11and rocks out like Mitch Easter auditioning for the Ramones tribute.

In just under 30 minutes, the Apples in Stereo clear the cobwebs from the psychedelicwindmills of their Elephant 6 minds and blast off toward a glorious recreationof everything great about visceral '60s rock and roll. Velocity of Soundgenerously lives up to its name from the jump; the opener, "Please,"is a bold stroke take on the stratospheric roar of the Shoes and Cheap Trick,followed by the pungent pop of "Rainfall," featuring lead vocals fromdrummer/Mrs. Robert Schneider Hilarie Sidney in an homage to girlie Brit pop.Suddenly the Ramones-ish "That's Something I Do" and the Everclear-on-Sugar-Popsenergy of "Do You Understand?" blurt out of the speakers with allof the concussive impact of a jet engine, and all thoughts of previous wispyApples reflections have dissipated in a haze of smoking guitars and pummeleddrums.

For the faithful, Schneider has not abandoned his love of psych pop or BrianWilson's gorgeously orchestral stylism. On Velocity of Sound, hehas simply-very simply-decided to marry that influence to the volumeknob, and the result is an album chock full of the loud pop brilliance we allknew he was capable of delivering.