Customer Reviews

Velocity of Sound

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

OK, I had finally come to accept that the Apples in Stereo were not going to get any better than they already were. I thought Fun Trick Noisemaker was a solid album, but the vocals got on my nerves at times. But this album was surprisingly full of great guitar and the vocals did not get overbearing with a bunch of "la la la's" that I am used to hearing from them. And while many may say the album is too short (it's less than 30 minutes!), the truth is it would lose its charm if it were any longer. In addition, the Apples may have solved my "vocals problem" by inserting smack dab in the middle of the album a different lead vocalist, bass guitarist Eric Allen. I only wish there was more of Mr. Allen because his contribution, "Yore Days" is possibly the strongest song on the album. While the first song "Please" is a little bit on the "gooey" side, it has an engaging chorus that I found myself singing long after the CD was finished. About the only song I may have a problem with is "Where We Meet", in which lead singer Robert Schneider does a great job of whining like a kid in a candy store, refusing to leave until he gets his lollipop.

While I may not be totally familiar with every Apples in Stereo album, this album seems to move away from the quirkiness of their previous efforts to more of a power pop sound akin to Blur or (dare I say it?) Brendan Benson. This is definitely a good thing.

Don't buy this album expecting to hear the clear guitar hooks of "Tin Pan Alley" or the goofy and nasal voices of "Go" and "The Bird that You Can't See."
But do buy this album.
This is The Apples in Stereo as a power-pop-punk outfit with countless catchy hooks, happy lyrics, but with everything swirling in a churning wave of fuzz and distortion. Fun and fast punk guitar, a great mix of various male and female vocals, the feels of 1950s radio ditties and 1960s surf rags and 1970s punk and 1990s crunch.... It's all here, and you will enjoy it, whether you're an Apples in Stereo fan or whether you've never heard them before but just like to rock out and feel good. Check it out.

It's interesting reading the reviews of this CD. It may be a departure for The Apples In Stereo but as one who's only owned one of their previous efforts, I must say that I'm quite impressed. Velocity of Sound is just a fine rock and roll album, something that's all too rare today.

The songs are short, feature loud guitars and all have wonderful hooks. Indeed, tunes like "That's Something I Do" and "She's Telling Lies" could even be described as pop punk. And it's terrific that they offer up an entire disc of same, rather than just a few cuts. Hey, if you're going to alienate a portion of your fan base, I can't think of a better way to do it than this! Here's hoping they keep it up.

Ah, gather round kiddies, and I'll tell you a tale of The Apples in Stereo. There are only a few bands whose newest album release date is like an event to me...impatiently watching the calendar days go by as that magical Tuesday creeps up. October 8th was one of those days with The Apples' latest, "Velocity of Sound". Sometimes these much anticipated Tuesdays are like a disappointing Christmas, where all you get are clothes and the Holiday leaves a spoiled taste in your mouth...but not this Apples Holiday!!! Hooray! October 8th was like one of those Christmas' when you got all the toys you wanted and your stocking was filled with fun surprises and candy, and you wish you could go back and do it all over again! The Apples' release another brilliant album full of fun, poppy melodies and heavy, fuzzy guitars. The guitar work especially sounds much heavier than their past albums, and sometimes seems to drown out the lyrical stylings of Robert Schneider (the GOD of retro indie pop music). I got lost in all the bright sounds smiling all the way. This is one band that will rock your blues away and make you wish you were running around a field of dandelions on a bright sunshiney day while blowing bubbles and wearing overalls. The whole album flows in a pulsating ... of delicious sound. MIND CANDY. For the hardcore fans, I don't there is the slightest chance of disappointment. This is actually their North American release...they release 02 other differently colored albums in Europe and Japan, each with a different bonus track. So buy it and EAT IT UP!

"Velocity of Sound" is the Apples' best since, I think "Fun Trick Noisemaker" (but will anything ever surpass this? probably not). However, its eleven tracks clock in at around 28 minutes, an unjust amount of material considering the fact that you're paying for an entire album. Even the Ramones could have dragged this one out a little more.....anyway, the songs are all bare bones rock, and at the same time they are produced well enough not to be considered "garage rock" (what does that mean nowadays, anyway?). It seems that brevity is the trend lately, packing as much punch into a half-hour as possible. If this is so, the Apples are one of the coolest bands out there.

While I can see what some apples fanatics are mad about-------getting away from the eclectic tendencies of previous stuff like brian wilson meets big star,i've gotta admit that this album jumps off the cd player instantly and consistently. It just doesnt have the surprises [and duds] of previous work. Though I have to say,I still listen to this alot,I dont do it with the same fanatacism of 'discovery 'or 'evolution'.While nothing on here approaches 'I cant believe' or '20 cases ' it is much more accesible and may get the band some long overdue recognition.

After the Apples produced some of the best pop albums ever made (and they will long be my favorites) I feel that this album is a cop-out. It's getting some glowing reviews here, but after they produced a sugar-sweet single for 'The PowerPuff Girls' album, I feel they are reacting with this album with feedback and fuzz, as if to say "Hey guys, you know we're still indie and raw." Well we know you are, you don't have to slap us in the face with it. Every song sounds the same. Static. Fuzz. Feedback. Headaches. Where are the delicious pop melodies? Where are the contemplative lyrics that you can sing over and over? Where's the subtle nod to the 50's and 60's? Apples, you now sound like every snot-nose teenage garage band, and nothing stands out. I've heard this sound millions of times. Nothing special about this album. Please let this be a one-off.

yeah, it's real good, and it rocks and stuff, but, uh, it's only 28 minutes long...! what have you guys been doing all this time? i could have easily listened to 20 more minutes of the great guitars, ooh ooh oohs, and bah bah bahs. maybe there's a hidden track around here somewhere. anyway, it's fun and catchy like all their stuff, but rocks a bit more. the last little ditty is pretty cool. be glad if you live in north america, otherwise you only get 26 minutes of pop gems.

"Velocity of Sound" might be the Apples' most featherlight production to date, so it's a bit of a surprise that this one owes the least to the bouncy and acidic 60s sound they've aped so often and so well. "That's Something I Do" is actually more mid-90s mall punk than 60s psychedelic pop; the vocalizing on `Do You Understand?" made me think of They Might Be Giants; "I Want" closes on the same riff as the Strokes' "Take It or Leave It." Even "She's Telling Lies," which has an obvious Brian Wilson/Beach Boys hook to it, sounds more of the early 90s surf brigade than the ones that used to sing of hotrods and malt shop girls.

It's not the riffs and volume that makes it so fluffy (they've always been melodic, and the guitars are tuned for fuzzy feedback) but the lack of memorable moments. There really aren't any bad songs on here, but this is more Weezer-lite than Beatles (though still better than what Weezer has become now). As it stands, "Velocity" will turn very few heads, but there's so little to honestly complain about, that it becomes one of the great bottom stack records of all time (bottom stack record: the album you always have out and ready to play, but never anything more than a backup at the bottom of the stack).

Best cuts: "Better Days," "Rainfall," "Please," "I Want," "Baroque," "That's Something I Do," "She's Telling Lies"

Eleven short, high energy tunes. I enjoyed it, but it doesn't
live up to the Apples earlier efforts. It seems hard to pick out
the vocals from the jangling guitars and hissing cymbals. Check
out Discovery of a World Inside the Moone or Tone Soul Evolution
to hear what this band really sounds like.