Music Review: The Apples in Stereo “Travellers in Space and Time”
With the release of the Apples in Stereo’s seventh studio album, Travellers in Space and Time, the band is not in any danger of losing its existing fans. Most of those fans have been devouring the Apples’ neo-psych pop nuggets for years, along with those of the other members of the Elephant Six Collective, and so they know to expect some changes from each new album. For instance, debut Fun Trick Noisemaker was raw and lo-fi, while on The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone the band began incorporating R&B influences and a less-orchestrated sound. The new album is a continuation of some of the band’s former trends, and is a treat for fans in many regards. For new listeners, though, there should be just one question: why haven’t you heard of these guys before?The sound of the record can be classified as “progressive pop R&B for the wireless internet age.” The music certainly sounds modern, but the lyrics are filtered through a ’70s sci-fi lens. For example, stand-out track “Dignified Dignitary” offers the reminder: “Even in the middle of the city/When you are flying in the taxi/Above the people and machinery/Tell it to the dignitary,” while kicking into one of most aggressive guitar riffs on the album.The instrumental skill displayed on the album should come as no surprise by now, but it’s still worth mentioning, as vocalist/guitarist Robert Schneider is now the only founding member in the band. John Dufilho joins the group for the first time as drummer, and keyboardists Bill Doss and John Ferguson are both sworn in as permanent members. While the two keyboardists do give the music a synth-pop feel, especially on “Hey Elevator” and lead single “Dance Floor”, it doesn’t overtake the sound: this is still loud, fun rock music.The Apples in Stereo aren’t known for making party albums, but Travellers is the one that comes closest to that label. Each track seems designed to get you movingand in my case, it succeeded. For a band that hasn’t stopped for over 15 years, that’s impressive praise indeed.