Interviewing Robert Schneider is one of the toughest gigs in music journalism, and not because the guy’s anything but a perfect gentleman. Like a hopped-up pep-squad captain, he speaks in endless run-on sentences at a clip far faster than any touch typist could keep up with; transcribing his comments takes about as long as it took his idol Brian Wilson to complete Smile. The Apples in Stereo’s music is just as overstuffed. On New Magnetic Wonder, the Denver band’s first album since 2002’s Velocity of Sound, Schneider’s tunes start out as three-chord rave-ups but end up afloat in buckets of psychedelic color. “Same Old Drag” sounds like the Beatles’ Revolver as remixed by Daft Punk; “Play Tough” shimmers with acid-cowboy guitars. Extending through 24 tracks (including interludes), Wonder’s Day-Glo maximalism is a lot to ingest in one sitting; near the end, Schneider’s overdubbing jones takes its toll on your ears. But the disc’s best stuff — such as the hard-rocking opener, “Can You Feel It?” — makes it easy to get swept up in his limitless enthusiasm.
The Apples in Stereo + Casper & The Cookies | Paradise Rock Club, 967 Comm Ave, Boston | February 17 | 617.931.2000On the WebThe Apples In The Stereo: www.applesinstereo.com/ Simian/Yep Roc:http://www.yeproc.com/
