The Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder

When the Elephant 6 collective first began putting out records in the mid-1990s, teen angst and raw grunge pop dominated the airwaves, making the E6's baroque psychedelia a whimsical reference to a bygone age. Since then, neo-psych has become the chief aesthetic of much of indie culture: from the orchestral ambitions of Sufjan Stevens to the brown acid bombast of Comets on Fire. In this milieu, the Apples in Stereo--perhaps the most definitive E6 band of the collective's heyday--return with a whopper, the epic, 24-track New Magnetic Wonder, and a lesson for the droners in what a psych revival can be. Keyboardist Bill Doss, bassist Eric Allen, guitarist John Hill, and new drummer John Dufilho (ex-Deathray Davies) join Apples mastermind Robert Schneider in a blissed-out parade of kaleidoscopic pop with enough headphone candy to satisfy the stoners plus melodies for the soccer moms. New Magnetic Wonder is full of positive anthems: "Can You Feel It?" kicks off the album like a rush of musical serotonin, while "Energy" reinvigorates lyrical platitudes ("the world is made of energy/and the world is the possibility") with tent-revival enthusiasm. The backwards piano trickery and interlocking riffs of "Same Old Drag" refute the negativity of its title, while "Sun is Out" relocates Guided By Voices' basement on McCartney's "Penny Lane." Learning from other definitive neo-psych moments such as XTC's SKYLARKING and the Stone Roses' debut, New Magnetic Wonder keeps its hooks in abundance and sounds referential without ever sounding dated. A swirling thrill.(Stereo Appless)