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chucklefuckmusic · 2 years

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Every ‘The Apples In Stereo’ Album* Ranked

*with some caveats; more accurately its “Every Main ‘The Apples In Stereo’ CD Ranked”

We all love Neutral Milk Hotel, yeah? Or more accurately, we’re all generally familiar with NMH. If you’ve been in any music group or page on the internet, it’s highly unlikely you haven’t at least seen the cover of NMH’s famous 1998 In The Aeroplane Over The Sea album. Personally, I think it, and the overshadowed On Avery Island are fantastic albums and the talents of Jeff Mangum and co. shine through those two albums, but I think I’ll be the first to admit that literally everyone has talked about Neutral Milk Hotel. Doesn’t matter if you’re on Music Tumblr, Twitter, aesthetic music Instagram accounts or (god forbid) /mu/, but I cannot really say anything about the mighty Mangum and his album about Anne Frank that hasn’t already been said. However, I can talk quite a bit about the man who produced ITAOTS (Robert Schneider; not to be confused with Adam Sandler’s buddy) and his most famous band.

As many of you are familiar, The Elephant 6 Recording Company was quite a significant powerhouse in the mid to late 1990s when it came to lo-fi and psychedelic-inspired indie music. Notable bands from Elephant 6 include the aforementioned Neutral Milk Hotel, the Olivia Tremor Control, of Montreal, Beulah, The High Water Marks, Elf Power, The Minders, and Circulatory System, to name a few. For this ranking, I will be looking at one of the most famous from the collective, and one of the original three bands that formed E6 along with Neutral Milk Hotel and the Olivia Tremor Control: the Apples in Stereo.

I love a lot of bands. Anyone who has talked to me know that I love stuff like Green Day and the pillows, but out of all the bands who entire primary discography I’ve listened to, the Apples in Stereo is one of only a few that are, on average, incredibly consistent with their overall quality. I can listen to (almost) every album of theirs and find myself in a great mood. This band is perfect for when you’re taking a walk on the beach during a sunset, or driving home on a dark night from a long day, or just chilling casually with friends on a nice day. While the Apples in Stereo is one of the more famous bands from E6, I haven’t found that much in terms of writings online regarding a proper ranking with in-depth explanations. The community that exists is super passionate and has a lot of cool shit from throughout the bands existence, but not much new stuff for about a decade. Outside of OG Apples fans, Elephant 6 connoisseurs, or fans of the OG Powerpuff Girls, there’s a strong possibility that many of you aren’t at all familiar with the Apples. That shit can’t stand, so here I shall be taking you on this journey...then you’ll know how it feels to know you’re not real.

Caveats before starting: in this list, I am including all primary Apples albums/LPs, in addition to their EPs released on CD, and one B-Sides/Rarities compilation. Their two debut EPs, Tidal Wave 7″ & Hypnotic Suggestions will be represented collectively under the Science Faire compilation. I will also be combining the EPs Look Away +4 & Let’s Go! in the same ranking to make things easier for me. The Live in Chicago digital album and the two “greatest hits” compilation albums (Sound Effects & #1 Hits Explosion) will not be included.

Additionally, I want to give credit, thanks, and apologies to @kpoppapi/@idolisnotdead due to the fact that I am essentially taking the same format they used on their ranking of every the pillows album. Pls don’t sue.

Got that? Now then, Let’s Go!

1. Fun Trick Noisemaker (1995)

This album, man...this banger album...let me tell you an anecdote, when I first listened to this album I was out at night enjoying the stars. They were particularly bright and plentiful due to a power outage knocking out most of the surrounding light pollution. And the moment it began with that record fuzz noise and that old 1960s Relay 2 Satellite broadcast recording began with its classy yet surreal archaic narration, I was already aware that I was in for a treat. And then, boom, the opening drums and chords kick in for ‘Tidal Wave’. It was the best.

If you talk with fans of the Apples and/or E6 about their best/favorite albums, their debut album Fun Trick Noisemaker will definitely be mentioned. Sound-wise, it encapsulates a raw, genuine sense of lo-fi that you can’t really find anywhere else in their discography, save for the EPs that make up Science Faire. Schneider also clearly is utilizing the Phil Spector technique of the “Wall of Sound” method that lends itself to a dense instrumental which can sometimes be a rough listen to some, but personally I don’t have that issue with this album.

There are so many fucking bangers on this album, and some of the Apples greatest essentials can be found on it. From the reutilized ‘Tidal Wave’ and ‘Glowworm’ from their previous EPs, to more lowkey and lo-fi tracks such as ‘Green Machine’ and ‘She’s Just Line Me/Taking Time,’ to bombastic tracks such as ‘Winter Must Be Cold’ (lyrics courtesy of their first drummer, Hilarie Sidney) and ‘Dots 1-2-3,’ to the dense and beefy guitars of ‘Lucky Charm’ and ‘Show the World,’ this album is a choice listen on a nice day or summer evening. My favorite track from the album, ‘High Tide,’ never fails to put a smile on my face.

There’s frankly not much else to say about this album. Every track on here is fantastic. This is the Apples in Stereo at their pinnacle, and a fun experience all around.

10/10 Top tier shit, right here.

2. The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone (2000)

Okay so...you know how I said I was taking inspiration from the format that @idolisnotdead used on their Pillows ranking? Well...I swear to god that the placement of this album and my feeling towards it, when compared to their placement of the Pillows album Good Dreams and how they feel about it, is completely coincidental. I swear to you.

Anyways with that being said, The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone (which we will shorten to Moone going forward) is my personal all-time favorite Apples album. This is an opinion that I don’t think is super common among Apples fans. While I think that Fun Trick Noisemaker is their best work, I ADORE this album and always have a great time listening to it. Perhaps it’s due to Schneider’s decision to shift away from Spector’s “Wall of Sound” production towards a more loose/raw sounding audio aesthetic, but this album was one that when I first listened to it in full, I immediately listened through it again. And then again.

This one is particular is a bit of a stylistic mix with a common theme of psychedelic pop, which is heavily evident in tracks like ‘What Happened Then’ and the Beatles-esque ‘Submarine Dream,’ along with bombastic guitar melodies in ‘I Can’t Believe’ and ‘Allright/Not Quite’[sic]. Schneider himself has stated that he wanted each song to be distinct with spaces between for the sake of putting your record needle down where you want - akin to the Beatles White Album (albeit, this record has waaaaaaaaay more cohesion).

Other highlights from this album include the triumphant and upbeat horn section in the opening track ‘Go,’ the more chill nature of ‘Stream Running Over’ and ‘Look Away,’ Hilarie Sidney’s marvelous contributions with ‘20 Cases Suggestive Of..’[sic] and ‘Stay Gold,’ and one of my favorite Apples songs of all time: ‘The Bird That You Can’t See.’ Holy DAMN I love that song. You’ll sometime hear me humming the chorus and melody if you catch me in a good mood. The interlude is stuck in my head as I type this.

Come down, plant your feet into the ground...feel free, plant your mind in mystery...

Anyways! Alongside Fun Trick Noisemaker, Moone would be the first album I’d recommend to someone unfamiliar with the Apples. Fans of psychedelic-pop and lo-fi will get a kick out of this, and I think even those who aren’t super into LPs will get a lot of good feelings out of this one.

10/10 I am biased on this one. Some Apples fans might rank it more like 8/10, but nonetheless, go give this one a listen and have a good time.

3. Velocity of Sound (2002)

HOT DAMN! This is the Apples in Stereo? If one thing is for certain, that title doesn’t lie. Velocity of Sound is perhaps the most unique of the Apples discography in general tone and direction, but by all means this is to the albums benefit. It is just. So. Damn. FUN!!!! The songs in this one are more fast paced, louder, aggressive, electric and dynamic in distorted guitar and bombastic drums. It is definitely a rock ‘n roll album that’ll make you want to dance (or at least, it makes me want to dance).

From the beginning, the opening track ‘Please’ gives us a massive cathartic guitar opening, along with Schneider and Sidney singing like they just won the lottery. I have a strong feeling that everyone had fun with this album, and when I hear it I can’t help but feel that vicariously. ‘That’s Something I Do’ is so fun and cute, and I say it could potentially be considered a pop-punk song...maybe. It certainly wouldn’t be out of place if sung by Blink-182, which is not a bad thing in my eyes. When I listen to it, I think of Mae and Gregg’s friendship in Night in the Woods.

Highlights of this album include the aforementioned opening ‘Please’ and ‘That’s Something I Do,’ alongside bangers such as ‘Rainfall,’ ‘Do you Understand,’ ‘Better Days,’ and ‘I Want’ just to name a few. Bassist Eric Allen even gets a chance to flex his songwriting ability with the upbeat ‘Yore Days.’

I should make this quick disclaimer: the American and British versions of Velocity of Sound concludes with the song ‘She’s Telling Lies’ but the former is Bryce [Goggin’s] Mix, and the latter is Robert [Schneider’s] mix. From what I can tell, Robert’s Mix is more distorted and raw sounding, while Bryce’s mix is more polished. Other than that, I think the recordings are generally the same but with different production mixing. (Also, the Japanese release swaps ‘She’s Telling Lies’ with ‘Other,’ but we will get back to that).

Overall consensus towards Velocity of Sound among Apples fans is generally positive, and I completely agree. Might sound like a broken record with this, but this album, like the others, is a fucking banger and an amazing time. It could arguably be interchangeable with any of these top three, or even (some may argue) Tone Soul Evolution and Her Wallpaper Reverie, but when I think of the Apples in Stereo I think of a good time, and this album delivers it hard.

10/10 This one is a forever banger. Play it in a basement with your troublemaker friends, and have fun.

4. Science Faire (1996)

And here we are at the beginning. This one is a compilation of the Apples first two EPs: Tidal Wave 7″ (1993) and Hypnotic Suggestion (1994), along with three miscellaneous tracks at the end which were either unreleased or released on split EPs and other formats.

I’ll say upfront: Science Faire was the first Apples CD I ever bought. It was sitting in the “used miscellaneous CDs” section of my local record store, and recognizing them from their appearance in The Powerpuff Girls, I was eager to hear more from them. And as a compilation of their earliest, raw, unpolished, unapologetically lo-fi tracks, this was a great introduction. Even with improved production values on all their albums going forward, Science Faire continues to be a blast to listen to.

Personally, I have a lot of nostalgia and admiration for every song on here. Standout tracks include the heavy ‘Motorcar’ and ‘Hypnotic Suggestion,’ which both feature heavy vocal and guitar distortion, ‘Not the Same,’ which starts out slow and then gets bombastic very quickly, instrumental tracks such as the bubbly ‘Turncoat Indian’ and the slightly ominous ‘To Love the Vibration of the Bulb,’ the earlier, unpolished versions of ‘Tidal Wave’ and ‘Glowworm;’ both of which appeared again on Fun Trick Noisemaker. The final track ‘Rocket Pad’ is also particularly catchy. The original bassist for the Apples, Jim Mclntyre, contributes a couple songs on the compilation: ‘Stop Along the Way,’ ‘Touch the Water,’ and ‘To Love the Vibration of the Bulb.’

However, my absolute favorite from Science Faire and one of my all time favorite Apples in Stereo songs is ‘Haley.’ That guitar and the raw repetition of the song hits differently for me, ya know? I fuckingggggggggg loveeeeeeee it.

With this all being said, some people who are not as accustomed to unpolished lo-fi audio might have a harder time listening to this compared to the rest of the Apples discography, and there are times where the rudimentary production is sometimes distracting, but for me it adds character and soul to the early days of one of my favorite bands.

9.5/10 A killer compilation showcasing the talent that the Apples would sophisticate over time. Pure. Raw. Energy.

5. New Magnetic Wonder (2007)

Here we are in some interesting territory. I will openly admit that, for the longest time, I didn’t really listen much to this album. The first double LP and 2 CD album from the Apples, their first album after five years of inactivity since Velocity of Sound in 2002, and the first Apples album released under a co-venture with E6, Yep Roc Records, and Elijah Wood’s Simian Records, there is definitely a slight change in formula in terms of production and content. At first, this slightly overwhelmed me from listening to New Magnetic Wonder in full, but I eventually got around to it later on (and as someone who has cosplayed both Frodo Baggins, and Wirt from Over the Garden Wall, I will not do Elijah Wood dirty).

And holy hot damn, this album is pretty damn good!

I’ve noticed a lot of appreciation on the internet for this album, even sometime surpassing albums higher in this list in reputation. So what is the gist of this album? Firstly, there is an eclectic assortment of songs, styles, and instruments packed in this baby, and with 24 tracks contained in this baby, only about 14 are “technically” songs, with the rest being “link tracks.” The opening track ‘Can You Feel It?’ with robotic, distorted, Daft-Punk-esque vocals singing Turn up the stereo~ before Schneider breaks into his bombastic, upbeat singing sets the stage for this diverse album. There seems to be a solid mix of clean, polished audio mixing alongside purposefully rough, unpolished, and lo-fi audio. There’s also more general utilization of piano; a first for the Apples.

Examples of variety include ‘Energy,’ a charming standout track that mixes smooth acoustic guitar strumming with distorted singing, electric guitars, and (inexplicably) a cowbell, and ‘Sun is Out’ which starts out with a cute little chiptune and Schneider playing acoustic guitar on audio that sounds like it’s from a demo cassette, before transitioning into a polished mixture of smooth bass, a strong acoustic guitar playing in the left channel, alongside what seems to be the band playing literal woodwind recorders in the background. Fun stuff. This album also introduces tracks that involve the “Non-Pythagorean scale,” which was developed by Schneider in a way which I don’t understand because math is my worst subject, but this hints to Schneider’s deep knowledge and interest in mathematics.

This album is incredibly eclectic, and although Schneider compared Moone to the Beatles White Album, it’s this one here that I think is closer to that in terms of cohesion. This is not necessarily bad, though! However, to a small degree my biggest criticism of the White Album applies to New Magnetic Wonder: it’s length is partially due to filler, and some of the “link tracks” are frankly forgettable to me. With that being said, it doesn’t harm my enjoyment of the album that much in the grand scheme of things.

This album really does feel like you’re travelling through space. ‘7 Stars’ is particularly brilliant to listen to when sitting out on top of your car on a starry night. It’s got a catchy melody, clever lyrics, and the chorus which honestly is one of the highlights of the Apples catalogue. ‘Open Eyes’ is another good track to listen to at night, but I must admit that it sounds like an Oasis/Liam Gallagher song from the early 2000s. Take that as you will. Other highlights of the album include ‘Joanie Don’t U Worry’[sic], ‘Play Tough,’ ‘Pre-Crimson’ courtesy of Allen, and ‘Radiation.’ Two Sidney songs show up on the album: ‘Sunndal Song’[sic] and ‘Sunday Sounds’ which are both great, and unfortunately are the last we’ll hear from Hilarie Sidney, as she left the band around the time this album came out.

Wow. I typed way more on this album than I thought I would. Par for the course, I suppose.

A bit much, a bit experimental, but overall I think this album has earned its spot here, and the praise it gets is earned and understandable. It might be long, but I recommend dedicating a couple hours in the evening to listening to this baby in whole. It’s a swell time!

8/10

6. Her Wallpaper Reverie (1999)

I’m not going to lie to y’all, this one was the toughest for me to figure out where on this list it should go. On one hand, this album has some of the most essential Apples songs on it, it’s got some of my favorites, and I listen to it waaaaaaaaaaaay more than New Magnetic Wonder. On the other hand, there are some factors with this album that compel me to put it in this spot below New Magnetic Wonder. I shall explain those now, and then go on to explain why I fucking adore this album still.

Her Wallpaper Reverie is deceptive in its track list correlating to its length. With fifteen tracks listed, one would be forgiven for assuming it’s roughly the same length as Fun Trick Noisemaker and Tone Soul Evolution. The reality of the situation is that this album here sits at a mere 27 minutes in length. This length could warrant a decently-sized EP. So what is the deal? Most of the tracks, notated by roman numerals, are variations of the same melody. Granted, it is a nice melody and the band gets creative with all the various ways it plays it, but since there are more of these melodies than actual songs, it leaves one desiring more. And if I am being frank, some of the melodies such as ‘iv. From Outside, in Floats a Music Box’ and ‘vi. Drifting Patterns’ are long enough in length that when I listen to this album on my iPod, I am compelled to skip them. That's a bit of a bummer.

WITH THAT ALL BEING SAID, I still fucking love this album. It’s surreal, it’s aesthetic, it feels like I’m floating out in the sea on a dingy boat, or am a merman myself when I listen to ‘The Shiny Sea.’ I’ve noticed that two of my favorite Apples songs are about the ocean...this one and ‘High Tide’ from Fun Trick Noisemaker. Interesting.

Meanwhile, ‘Strawberryfire’[sic] is beautiful to listen to, and is Sgt. Pepper-esque in its lyrical content and instrumentation. As with Moone, the psychedelic pop is strong with this one. ‘Ruby’ is a cute as hell and catchy as hell, ‘Questions and Answers’ has Hillarie Sidney singing one of my favorite songs of hers with an iconic opening chord and creative lyrics, ‘Y2K’ is, as someone born in late 1999, really funny in retrospect and particularly relevant in terms of how much the United States media is plagued by manufactured consent, and the penultimate and final (song) tracks, “Benefits of Lying (with Your Friend)’ and ‘Ruby, Tell Me’ are both low-key, lo-fi, and generally chill and melancholic to listen to.

I think that, while the length of this album and the prevalence of melody tracks brings it down a bit, to listen to Her Wallpaper Reverie is like enjoying a high-quality dessert. Sure, it might not technically be healthy, but the ingredients that pop out are of high quality, and you get a feeling of honest satisfaction after everything is said and done. I see a lot of people talk about this album as their favorite (especially on the horrific landscape known as /mu/), and I can completely understand it! It might not be my favorite, but it is damn good, and I especially recommend it to anyone who likes the Olivia Tremor Control or Neutral Milk Hotel.

8/10 Some flaws, but what glitters in this one is pure gold.

7. Look Away +4 (2000)

Let’s Go! (2001)

Okay okay okay so, this one I am going to cheat a bit. Look Away +4 and Let’s Go! are separately released EPs. The former consists of the track ‘Look Away,’ which would appear on Moone, along with four tracks that were bonuses at the end of the Australian and Japanese releases of Her Wallpaper Reverie. The latter is an EP containing the song ‘Signal in the Sky (Let’s Go)’ from the Cartoon Network classic The Powerpuff Girls in the episode ‘Superfriends,’ where the girls befriend their new neighbor Robin, and which was additionally made into an official Cartoon Network music video that played in between commercials during the early 2000s. The album cover for Let’s Go! even includes caricatures of the band as drawn by Powerpuff Girls creator Craig McCracken! That’s pretty fucking sweet. I love all of his shows.

And yes, it was in the same Powerpuff episode that this joke that every fucking 14 year old on the internet since this episode aired over two decades ago has joked about in their “TOP 10 DIRTIEST ADULT JOKES IN KIDS CARTOONS (NOT CLICKBAIT)” videos:

But enough about that.

I’ve combined these two as they are only available on CD format, that they are not included in 2008 B-sides and rarities compilation Electronic Projects for Musicians, and, well, because I say so. So that is that. Due to their combined lengths, I will talk about each individual song. There is some “eh” in this collection, but at the same time some of these songs are in my all time favorite Apples in Stereo songs.

Look Away +4 begins with the titular ‘Look Away’ from Moone, which is a great song! I don’t really have much else to say about it here; go back to #2 on this list. ‘Behind the Waterfall’ is a long, trippy song with a lot of distortion and what seems to be...the sound of squishy water?? Schneider alternates between smoothly mixed singing with hard, aggressive guitars and distorted vocals during the vocals. An interesting song, but overall I think it’s pretty good. He really doesn’t want to be like the sun, though. They don’t seem him at all. He stands behind the waterfall. Just thought I’d let you know. Some people be like that.

‘Everybody Let Up’ and ‘Her Pretty Face’ are two of my all time favorite Apples in Stereo songs. I am flabbergasted at how underrated and unknown these two songs are. The former is a catchy, fun song about living se-la-vie and dealing with the ennui of late teenage-dom and early 20s: “I don’t feel like doing shit.” Damn I love this song. The latter is perhaps Sidney’s most beautiful and melancholic song in the bands catalogue. Back then, it made me think about past crushes, and now it makes me think about how it’s bad to treat someone like the idea of them in your head instead of how they are in reality. It also makes me think of GAY. I don’t know. Sad song, but very pretty. Much like her face (it’s all you know).

‘The Friar’s Lament’ is alright. It’s short, and honestly to me it’s just alright. If this is your favorite song, I apologize for my generally apathetic feelings towards it. And that concludes Look Away +4.

Meanwhile, Let’s Go! starts out with a track that I bet most of you have already heard: ‘Signal in the Sky (Let’s Go),’ which is also featured on the Powerpuff album Heroes & Villains. If you’re a fan of The Powerpuff Girls or Cartoon Network in general, this song is up there with ‘Back to the Lab Again,’ ‘My Best Friend Plank,’ They Might Be Giant’s little Courage the Cowardly Dog song (which @waymu asserts is the John’s worst song), and ‘The Incredible Shrinking Day.’

And, yeah! It is a good song! It’s fun, it’s catchy, and it’s pretty good for the Apples. To me though, it’s kind of like how I feel about a song like Green Day’s ‘Good Riddance’ or the Beatles ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ in the sense where it was the first song from the band that I heard in my life, and while I love it, I feel like I have matured since then. I love ‘Signal in the Sky (Let’s Go)’ and it will always have a special place in my heart, but I feel like I have matured in my Apples in Stereo since then. There are objectively better songs from the band.

‘If You Want to Wear a Hat,’ meanwhile, is fucking adorable. As the only original track on the EP, it’s a charming song about the wacky and terrifying world of fashion. On the subject of Craig McCracken shows, this song would be fitting if played in Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends. Also, there is a piano interlude in this song so I redact what I said when talking about New Magnetic Wonder...they DID have piano before that album...although one could still argue that it wasn’t yet on an LP of theirs!!

The remaining three tracks are a live cover of the Beach Boys ‘Heroes and Villains’ song, recorded live at a show they did in Chicago in 2000 (which is a cool piece of history and the band plays it good, but the audio on this track is TERRIBLE by fault of being recorded in 2000 on something), an acoustic version of ‘Stream Running Over’ from Moone (which is wonderful), and the demo for ‘Signal in the Sky (Let’s Go)’ (which is pretty cool). Hm. Yep, that’s all I have to say about that.

These two EPs are pretty alright for what you are getting. They’re not perfect, and there are some duds within, but with how much I love some of the songs on Look Away +4 and how culturally important their song from The Powerpuff Girls is in terms of bringing awareness and fans to the band, I’d recommend that anyone looking to listen to all of the Apples discography listen to these. These are good times!

Individually, Look Away +4 gets a 4/5 and Let’s Go! gets a 3/5, which I will combine for a grand collective total of 7/10

8. Tone Soul Evolution (1997)

OKAY OKAY SO this is probably going to be my most controversial placement on this list. I guarantee that an OG Apples fan is preparing their pitch-forks and torches, because when you talk with hardcore fans of the Apples in Stereo and ask them what their favorite albums are, they’ll definitely include Tone Soul Evolution alongside Fun Trick Noisemaker. I completely understand and respect that! So then, why so low on my list?

Well, I don’t find myself returning to this album individually that often. I don’t know exactly what it is, but a lot of the songs on here are not as catchy and memorable (to me) when compared to its predecessor and successors. Additionally, this was still when Schneider was utilizing Spector’s “Wall of Sound” method with production and audio mixing. While it doesn’t distract me much in Fun Trick Noisemaker, for some reason, it is really evident in Tone Soul Evolution to me, to a point where the guitar in songs such as ‘What’s the #?’ just aren’t as punchy as they would be if produced and mixed differently. The sound is dense, and a bit overwhelming.

HOWEVER,

These are still damn good songs! None of the songs on their own are bad, and some such as ‘About Your Fame’ and ‘Tin Pan Alley’ are some of my favorites from the bands early days. There’s also a plethora of experimentation with this album, such as the twin ‘The Silvery Light of a Dream’ tracks. The first half of the first of these is literally just outdoor night-time sounds, footsteps, clocks, and then it transitions into the seaside. In this case, I think the “Wall of Sound” philosophy actually benefits in immersing you in the environment that the track is presenting. It’s honestly really cool!

Highlight tracks include the opening track ‘Seems So,’ ‘About Your Fame,’ ‘Silver Chain’ courtesy of Sidney, ‘We’ll Come to Be,’ ‘Tin Pan Alley,’ and ‘Coda.’

I feel bad for ranking this one so low. I know it means a lot to a lot of people, but compared to what came before it and what comes after it, while the songs are amazing, the production and sound design keeps it in the lower tier of Apples in Stereo albums.

With that being said, lower tier for the Apples is still pretty damn good. Think of the Pizza scale from Night in the Woods. There is bad pizza, but everything immediately above bad pizza is still really damn good. Anyways,

6.5/10 leaning towards a soft 7/10. Please don’t hurt me.

9. Electronic Projects for Musicians (2008)

Here’s the other outlier in this list: the elusive B-sides and rarities collection, Electronic Projects for Musicians. Released as the second Apples CD through the triple junction of E6, Yep Roc, and Elijah Wood’s Simian Records, this is potentially a companion piece to Science Faire (at least, that’s what Wikipedia claims). Every piece of non-main album content is on here, with the exception of songs from Look Away +4 and Let’s Go! for licensing reasons.

Most of these songs came from additional tracks on the Japanese releases of the albums, through 7″ split singles with other bands, occasional unreleased songs/internet exclusives, and even a cameo from Stephen Colbert himself (in the form of an Apples song...he doesn’t sing in it).

Tonally, this album is all over the place in terms of cohesion by nature of being a B-side and rarities album. I do not fault it for that. However, there is one noticeable thing with this compilation that @waymu and I have talked about.

It’s.

Really.

Fucking.

Loud.

Like, distractingly so. It kind of hurts my ears in a way. This can be alleviated through turning down the volume, but that also makes it harder to listen to the Apples! This is truly the worst of all possible worlds. My understanding is that this album was mastered from various different sources, including flexi-disc and the likes, and I understand that there were potential challenges in making sure they were all at a consistent homogenous level. But...man this hurts my ears. When you have that flaw in an album, it’s a real bummer.

With that being said, there are amazing songs on here! The titular ‘Shine (in Your Mind)’[sic] is catchy and absolutely fits at home with Fun Trick Noisemaker, the ‘Thank You Very Much’ track that follows with Schneider thanking the Japanese listeners for listening to the album is just adorable, ‘Onto Something’ is perhaps, one of the greatest Apples songs ever created, and we get an eclectic mix of titles from ‘The Oasis’ to the French-language ‘Avril en Mai,’ to the concluding track to the Japanese release of Velocity of Sound entitled ‘Other,’ which is a kick-ass song, but I must confess that I think ‘She’s Telling Lies’ is a stronger closer for that album, and the unreleased song ‘Dreams’ intended for Tone Soul Evolution.

The song written for The Colbert Report ‘Stephen Stephen’ is charming and funny for the show it was made for, but in all honestly I’ve always preferred Conan and John Oliver, so “eh.” Meanwhile, “The Apples Theme Song” which was used on their official website from back in the day is a super adorable song that could’ve been the theme song to a cartoon based on the band (which I would hope was created by Craig McCracken. If I had a choice between that and a third season of Wander Over Yonder...I would still go for more Wander Over Yonder to be honest. Disney did that show dirty...).

Overall this is a good collection of songs, but it is still a bummer that the audio levels are loud to to the point that it distracts. If you are a CD collector or want to own everything Apples in Stereo, go ahead and get this. But if you’re an audiophile or are sensitive to super loud music...maybe just find where these B-sides originally came from. Sorry.

5.5/10 Because my ears hurt. ‘Shine (in Your Mind)’ and ‘Onto Something’ are both solid 10/10 though.

10. Travellers in Space and Time (2010)

As of 2022, this is the most current Apples in Stereo album released. The first in the post-Sidney era. The third of the triple labels of E6, Yep, and Simian. This album is also heavily influenced by Electric Light Orchestra. I am not the most familiar with them, but I do like those ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ memes I see online! With all this in mind, we are at the bottom of the Apple bucket. It’s not necessarily rotten, but...well...we’ll get to that. Here is Travellers in Space and Time, which we will refer to as Travellers moving forward.

Anyways, this album begins with a narrative section entitled ‘The Code’ which is reminiscent of the opening narration of Fun Trick Noisemaker. I couldn’t exactly find where the source of this audio was, but it was neat!

I won’t beat around the bush, I have a hard time listening to Travellers.

Maybe it’s nostalgia or familiarity bias that clouds my perception, but this also applied to New Magnetic Wonder and I ended up loving that album! And I also want to make clear, this album is by no means bad. I know bad albums when I see them (sometimes). This is not to the Apples what Father of All Motherfuckers is to Green Day.

It’s just...underwhelming, and it drags at parts.

The opening song after ‘The Code,’ entitled ‘Dream About the Future’ is slightly reminiscent of ‘Joanie Don’t U Worry’ in terms of tone and some of the melodic characteristics, but it’s not as dynamic and admittedly, I think that this song drags. I think that its repetition and structure would’ve worked better if the time was reduced by half.

The remaining tracks were of similar caliber to me. ‘Dance Floor’ was too long, so was ‘No One in the World,’ so was ‘Nobody But You.’ Those three songs also all feel too similar to me in terms of lyrical content. I am not here to knock love songs or songs about having the hots for someone, as that consists of most of the Apples catalogue, but these songs are just generic and reminiscent of early 1960s pop songs imitating the Beatles first two albums. Honestly, this album feels to me more like what the Beatles ‘With The Beatles” era sound is like. That is by no means bad, but when compared to everything the Apples have created leading up to this album, it’s just disappointing to me.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. I think the best track on here is a legitimately great track: ‘Next Year at About the Same Time’ from our good ol’ Apples basis Allen. He’s always got hidden gems in the Apples catalogue. ‘Floating in Space’ is also a really good track, written and sung by John Dufilho, who replaced Sidney as the drummer.

I don’t really know what else to add to this place. I know some people like this album, and that’s awesome and more power to you all.

I also am not here to shit on Robert Schneider and where he was at this point in his career. After this album, aside from some supplemental releases and side-projects, he has since become a gosh darn math professor in universities! That is absolutely awesome and I would definitely geek out (in a healthy way) if I ever got the opportunity to meet him. I hope he’s doing good (and also if he reads this post...holy shit hi and I’m sorry if I was mean at all with Travellers).

But with that all being said, I think that unless you are very curious to hear this album, are a huge Apples fan, or are a completionist...this one is skippable.

4/10 Sorry guys, I still love y’all

Postscript (kinda)

Phew! That was my first album ranked list. I would like to once again credit and give apologies to @idolisnotdead for basically utilizing their format verbatim. Thank you all for reading this, I’ll post another one whenever that happens, and if you haven’t yet, please give the Apples in Stereo a listen!

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