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"We're doing music that's very close to us," Apples bassist Eric Allen said. "I guess it's because it's the first music we listened to, so it's just natural. I don't think of things in terms of, 'Oh, I want to make this sound 60s.' It's just what I grew up on. Hopefully it sounds natural, but that's the way it comes out of us."
But the Apples In Stereo have more to worry about than reinventing Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson. The Apples themselves have been around for 15 years, and Tuesday released their sixth studio album, "New Magnetic Wonder" - now they have to worry about reinventing themselves. "I think it's new in a lot of ways," Allen says of "Magnetic." "On our last album, the sound was very stripped down, sort of Ramones-y, but this one has kind of got everything. It's a lot more varied than a lot of our albums."
It's been five years since the Robert Schneider-fronted Apples turned out their last retro offering, "Velocity of Sound." Though the band officially hails from Denver, its members live all over the country and have spent the time pursuing individual side projects and, according to Allen, "just living our lives … hanging out with our girlfriends." But Allen, who joined the band in 1995 after Schneider convinced the former guitar player to pick up the bass, assures Apples fans that the wait was well worth it: "It's the best Apples album ever!"
Whether or not "Magnetic" lives up to the rough-edged rock of 2002's "Velocity" or the smooth pop of 1997's "Tone Soul Evolution," the disc should get its fair share of play thanks to a couple famous friends. "New Magnetic Wonder" was the first album released on new label Simian, headed by Elijah Wood - yes, mop-headed little Frodo Baggins, Elijah Wood. "It's incredible," Allen said of the partnership. "Our album's getting reviewed in more places, more interviews, a higher profile than we've ever had before. You can't understate how much Elijah Wood has helped, just because he can go on Letterman and talk about The Apples in Stereo - no one's ever done that before."
