Tone Soul Evolution [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

Apples In Stereo

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 10, 1998)
• Original Release Date: September 30, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Sire / London/Rhino
• ASIN: B0000020ZI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #159,386 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Part of the Elephant Six collective of psychedelic pop bands (they were high school chums with The Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel in their hometown of Ruston, LA), the now-Denver-based Apples In Stereo run wild with their Beach Boys/Pet Sounds fixation on their splendid second album. Guitarist/vocalist Robert Schneider is the key auteur here, crafting a winning set of strange but melodic tunes. Drummer Hilarie [stet] Sidney also gets props for contributing to the irresistible harmonies. (Witness the big, orchestral/vocal build-up at the end of "Silver Chain.")Jim Derogatis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, sunny '60s-influenced pop, May 29, 2000

By A Customer

I just now discovered the Apples in Stereo, and this was the first album of theirs that I bought. It's a real gem. Sure, it has a nostalgic sort of sound, and it may be a bit derivative, but so what? It is a type of sound that I really love, and The Apples make it their own.

"Seems So," "Tin Pan Alley," and "Silver Chain" are just a few of my favorites on here. They are just so catchy and uplifting. There are really NO bad songs on this album.

A few of the songs sound very similar to one another, but this is a minor quibble. I imagine it's hard not to fall into this trap when songwriting. I really dislike buying a CD where ALL of the songs sound cut from exactly the same mold -- but this isn't one of those albums. There is enough variety here to keep you going for the duration.

All I can figure is that this Martin Blazy reviewer must be a troll, or he listened to the wrong album. Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, but his arguments against the album are not even based on fact. Minimalist? How so? Incompetent and in need of music lessons? Hey, I play keyboard and guitar and do okay, but I know that I am listening to folks here that are WAY better than me, and that I will probably NEVER attain this level of competence. The Apples can play. It's not Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton, but it's CERTAINLY more than competent enough.

As I write this, summer is almost upon us. And what a PERFECT summer album this is. Roll down the windows, cruise with the breeze, and CRANK IT UP!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indie Pop at its Finest, November 28, 2001

By	Christian Zimmerman "Popular music afficianado" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I first heard The Apples In Stereo on the Powerpuff Girls soundtrack. Finding "Let's Go (Signal in the Sky)" to be the sunniest piece of pop music I'd heard in a while, I went to the record store which, of course, did not have a copy. I was still interested in the band, so I got this CD instead.

I was not dissapointed. Tone Soul Evolution is an absolute delight, and a perfect break from the producer-driven pop that currently dominates the airwaves. Schneider has a great ear for pop, and every single song is irresistably catchy, with the exception of the short filler tracks "Silvery Light of a Dream (Part 1)" and "Coda". Those two tracks are the only blemish on an otherwise perfect album, and as far as filler goes, they're tolerable enough to listen through.

As great as this album is, one must keep in mind that this is Lo-Fi, and therefore may take some getting used to. Although it was recorded on 24 tracks, making it much more polished than the average album in the genre, I still required 2 or 3 listens to get used to the sound.

In short, if you like sunny pop music and can get around the deliberately unpolished nature of the album, you will like Tone Soul Evolution.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good songwriting, lush sounds...good album, May 25, 2001

By A Customer

I wasn't going to bother reviewing this album, because most of the other reviews summed up what mine will be...but that one-star review just forced me to do something...Minimalist? Wow. Seriously, this person must have listened to the wrong album. This album shows just how much respect Rob Schneider has for Pet Sounds. Most songs have wonderfully layered guitar and vocal harmonies that are just a joy to behold. The songwriting is very strong, even if most of it does follow the retro-60s theme. Most artists have a certain style, and this happens to be theirs. And they do it well. Their style has gotten stronger in this album compared to Fun Trick Noisemaker (which is still darn good, just not quite as rewarding).

If you like pop/rock, you will probably like this album. If you don't, you probably won't.