Expo [ENHANCED]

Marbles

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 5, 2005)
• Original Release Date: March 15, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Spin Art
• ASIN: B0007R8FE4
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #265,024 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
On the new album by his solo project Marbles, Robert Schneider of Apples In Stereo takes a breather from sunnily updated, ultra-catchy ‘60s indie-pop for a detour down the road of… sunnily updated and almost as catchy ‘80s pop. But before you go worrying that the recording auteur of the Elephant Six scene has jumped onto some sort of ‘80s bandwagon, there's nothing electro or disco-punk about this record, at all. It's also largely, blessedly un-ironic. Schneider wanted it to sound like "Gary Numan meets ELO." And by gum, that's a pretty accurate description! Half the album is a bit throwaway, sounding like background music from a cool cartoon or something, but the other half is exactly the kind of perfect pop one expects from Schneider. Expo is not in the same league as classic Apples, but it's the best solo effort by Schneider thus far. "Magic," for instance, has a Game Theory-ish, nu wave Big Star thing going on that's irresistible. --Mike McGonigal

Time Out NY, March 3, 2005
Side project of Robert Schneider, as to be expected his latest Marbles album sounds great

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 16, 2005

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.