keepers 9/13
keeper avg .692 (not including interludes)
As I recall, I had a hard time with Velocity of Sound, the previous record, and thought the Apples' best work was behind them. New Magnetic Wonder proved me wrong in dramatic fashion. Like Spanish exclamation points (the funny upside-down one), "Can You Feel It?"***** literally xxxxxxxxx figuratively (sheesh) explodes out of all my speakers, from my 90's Panasonic fake component stereo speakers to my generic earbuds. It's 4 minutes of audio joy, and did somebody say 'More Cowbell'? Not physically possible. Now that I listen for it I can hear the ELO influence in the mega-layered vocals in the bridge for example, but without the wimpy-sounding falsetto. "Skyway"**** and "Energy"**** are also classic power pop. Of course, it's not all just chiming guitars and crashing cymbals. "Same Old Drag"**** has a cool 70's Steely Dan / Wings keyboard sensibility. "Play Tough"**** has amazing Pet Sounds craft to back up its combative attitude. "7 Stars" is a nice bit of Stereolab electonica, and the mellow "Radiation"**** features nice melodic guitar lines. For those pining for the classic Apples' sound, "Open Eyes"**** is a nice Her Wallpaper Reverie-era psychedelic rocker, while "Beautiful Machine" reminds us that this an 'orch-pop' band with a pop epic in 4 parts, crowned by a stately "Hey Jude" instrumental coda****. On any other record Hilarie Sidney's 2 fine tracks, new-wave-y "Sunndal Song" and poppy "Sunday Sounds", would be stand-out tracks; here the competition is just too fierce. Even the 8-word sing-a-long jingle "Sun Is Out"**** is catchy as hell. With plenty of experimental interludes but not a single dud, I have a new favorite Apples record.
Comments