Expo

Marbles | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 5, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Spin Art
• ASIN: B0007R8FE4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,226 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Time Out NY, March 3, 2005

Side project of Robert Schneider, as to be expected his latest Marbles album sounds great

Amplifier, February, 2005

a paen to the sounds of the early 80's: vintage synth whooshes and Cars-style guitars.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Designing "Expo", April 15, 2005

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Expo (Audio CD)

Rob Schneider can do it all, and he seems to be determined to. As well as fronting psychpop band the Apples In Stereo, Schneider has also managed to perform solo in two side bands. One is the ultrastark Ulyssess, while the other is whimsical odds-and-ends band the Marbles.

But with "Expo," Schneider seems to have decided to treat the Marbles... seriously. While the debut "Pyramid Landing and Other Favorites" was a chimey lo-fi mishmash, "Expo" is a slicker, colder, and far more polished effort. It's a fun listen, but lacks the unpretentious sweetness of the previous Marbles album.

This time around, Schneider goes pure pop, with nods to the eighties and a strong new wave influence. No lo-fi-ness here -- it's all carefully polished synth waves over gritty guitar riffs. Bu t there are some forays into whimsy: The title track is a one-minute solo, with interwoven little synth melodies that bounce like a sparkling ball.

When dissected, the music is actually pretty simple -- guitar melodies with sheets, waves and doodles of electronica over it. It's a pleasant enough listen, but it lacks the warmth of Schneider's earlier -- albeit sloppier -- work. One of the biggest flaws is that Schneider's voice is buried in the mix. Really, in the heavy-synth songs Scheider sounds like the illicit love child of Devo and the Beach Boys.

Don't get me wrong, "Expo" is fun to listen to -- it's catchy and sweet, in a slick candy-coated way. The instrumentals, if you can call them that, are a bit more eerie and less poppy. And "Hello Sun" is the most enjoyable song that the Polyphonic Spree never made, with Schneider letting rip with joyous calls of "Hello SUN!"

This is not the Marbles as you know it, but it is a fun, synth-heavy little psychpop album. But it may leave you longing for the next Apples in Stereo album, to hear Schneider at his best.