-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal *
Artist..: The History of Apple Pie
Album...: Feel Something
GENRE....: Indie
STYLE....: Indie Rock
LABEL....: Marshall Teller SCENE.....: 2016-03-05
BITRATE..: 257 kbps avg STORE.....: 2014-00-00
ENCODER..: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 TRACKS....: 10
SIZE.....: 69.15MB SOURCE....: CD
URL..: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_History_of_Apple_Pie
- TRACKLIST
1 Come Undone 3:16
2 Tame 3:29
3 Keep Wondering 4:04
4 Special Girl 3:00
5 Jamais Vu 4:00
6 Puzzles 3:23
7 Don't You Wanna Be Mine? 4:00
8 Ordinary Boy 3:45
9 Snowball 3:23
10 Just Like This 4:58
Total Playtime: 37:18
It seems most indie guitar bands right nowùfrom the trashy garage-pop set to
the Æ90s Brit-indebted bowlcut contigentùare in thrawl to the brain
bubblegum-stretching possibilities of drowsy, angelic harmonies and guitars
through numerous spacey effects pedals. Alvvays, Talk In Tongues, Joanna
Gruesome, Beach Day, and sometimes even beer-spitting pal-rockers like Twin
Peaks and Tweens have been high on that swirly shoegaze sound. The History Of
Apple Pie jumped headfirst into it all with their 2013 debut album, Out Of
View.
Feel Something is a hopeful title for a sophomore album, but also fitting, as
the genre it moves within can often go so heavy on the reverb and woozy vibes
that visceral, emotional meaning can be lost in the wash. This British
fivesome are innately able to tweak their tunes enough not to just rely on
pretty distortion to make you swoon. Though not a huge leap away from their
debut, and in fact a lateral lilting in currently ubiquitous modern shoegaze
strumming, this band remains near the top of the swirly heap. One way they do
it is by not being afraid to let singer Stephanie MinÆs vocals ride near the
front of the mix, allowing for little cracks and slight sarcasm to cut
through. Not that IÆve a clue what sheÆs going on about in her songs most of
the time.
Like in the single Tame, Min declares ôNo one gets me anywayàIÆm not
comfortable in situations,ö which might explain why sheÆs not too interested
in annunciating anything beyond general suggestions of indecisiveness. But
the band displays an eight-finger grasp on song structure development.
Stacatto bridges and piano pounding cut through Tame. In DonÆt You Wanna Be
Mine, the snare is uncharacteristically but servicably flat while fuzzy
guitars drop down, then shoot up. And the broken headphones sound at the
opening of Keep Wondering has you wondering if the mastering was fucked, then
the song kicks in proper, Min talks about taking something too fast, and the
steady, simple drum pound urges Min to get her point across. What that point
is, once again, is elusive, but damned if the musicians arenÆt egging her on
a bit.
The subtle, pulsing momentum build of Puzzles marks another slight departure
structure-wise. The candy apple dropped in a pile of cat shed blues of
Special Girl proves the band know at least the Nuggets tracks that Joshua
Third of the Horrors mightÆve brought along when he came in to engineer some
of this album. Even the shifty Jamais Vu that at first feels a little silly
soon chops hard until gossamer harmonies lift the exploding chorus, during
which Min says, ôWho cares? I donÆt.ö So maybe I should just quit harping on
the lyrical lollygagging. Her vocal rhythm bounces right along perfectly with
the music.
As the ordinary Ordinary Boy and Snowball tumble out towards the end, the
bandÆs root Æ90s revivalist role is exposed as a bit played out. Well, thatÆs
what the experimental third album is for. Feel Something is never anything
less than enthralling in its mushy melodies and gossamer vocals thatÆll have
many crushing on this record through the cold months.
*
The History of Apple Pie's debut album, Out of View, was an impressive bolt
of shoegaze energy, memorable songcraft, and production savvy that staked a
claim for the band in the rush and tumble of groups revisiting that very
specific style. Following up impressive first albums is always a tricky
proposition, one that not a few of the original shoegazers found hard to
manage. On their 2014 record, Feel Something, the History of Apple Pie do a
fine job of delivering a second album that has much of the same sterling
properties as their debut, while giving their guitar noise with sugar-sweet
melodies some tweaks here and there, just enough to serve as a progression
instead of an unwanted stylistic leap into mediocrity. Bandmember Jerome
Watson is once again in the producer's chair, and he does a nice job of
scaling back on the group's previously established avalanche of sound in
favor of a more precise and subtle approach that pays off with a wider
variety of feelings and atmospheres. Songs like "Puzzles" and the super-poppy
"Tame" are well served by less cacophony-filled arrangements, and the songs
that are supposed to be loud and ragged sound even more so when balanced
against the album's calmer moments. Like on the debut, the range of guitar
tones and effects the band uses is varied and perfectly chosen to suit the
song, and Stephanie Min's vocals are even stronger this time. She carries
songs like the lilting "Snowball" with her airy tones, but can also give some
real meaning to the slower, deeper songs like "Just Like This," which ends
the record in a drifting cloud of melancholy and Hammond organs. The guys in
Ride would have been proud to call that song theirs; the rest of the original
shoegazers would no doubt feel the same about other songs on the album. Like
their debut, Feel Something is a throwback to a brief shining moment when
noise and melody met in a quick burning blaze of inspiration, but more than
that, it's a continuation of that era done with skill and energy equal to --
if not greater than -- those who were there first.
*
Crap name for a band maybe, but as The History Of Apple Pie themselves state,
if thatÆs the biggest thing for critics to worry about then thatÆs good news.
And by all accounts it is the biggest complaint. By far.
The London five-piece eventually released their debut Out Of View in January
2013 after a few years honing their skills and it proved to be a good move,
the particularly solid, melodic æ90s shoegaze influenced sound garnering
praise from many quarters. And fans will be pleased to hear that follow up
Feel Something continues in much the same vein.
Having taken 18 months or so to finalise the debut û including a complete
scrapping and re-recording û Feel Something arrives in comparatively
quickfire fashion. Ten fresh new tracks dripping with sweet shoegaze honey
make up the second offering following a stint at LondonÆs Sublime Studios,
with friend and previous collaborator Josh Hayward of The Horrors
contributing to production duties alongside the bandÆs own Jerome Watson.
The first glimpse of the new material surfaced last year in the shape of
DonÆt You Wanna Be Mine, a foot-tapping beat of tambourines and descending
guitar scrawl do most of the early work before the fuzz-soaked guitar
conclusion really hits the mark. Tame then followed, a four-chord piano intro
lead to fuzzy guitars and pounding drums; guitars then weave another
four-chord pattern, joined by an intriguing, wavering guitar melody and
decent if simplistic guitar solo. ItÆs a lovely, infectious little number but
itÆs crying out for a more adventurous guitar solo, the lack of which sadly
seems to be prevalent in many a guitar bandÆs make-up these days, apart from
the likes of The War On Drugs for example; safe, one might say.
Album curtain raiser Come Undone is awash with shimmering shoegaze guitars
amidst constantly pounding percussion, weirdly wavering harmonics entering
the fray alongside Stephanie MinÆs soothingly hushed vocals. Keep Wondering
is driven by an incessant tambourine beat, bouncing along to a fuzzy guitar
melody that bubbles under the surface before bursting through for a sugary
chorus. An ever so slightly more adventurous guitar solo then repeats four
times to break up the sparkling sweetness.
The excellent Jamais Vu appears in a flash of Garbage-like quivering
guitaring, another bouncy effort that skips along to a fuzzy chorus to make
for a catchy, highly enjoyable cut also boasting more simple yet effective
guitar soloing. The racing, percussion pummelling chorus of Snowball is
another highlight amidst militaristic drumming, more sublime yet
unchallenging guitaring and a bass line that oddly recalls Ben E KingÆs Stand
By Me. Just Like This screams of Ride influence, the fuzzy guitar melody
could easily be lifted from their Going Blank Again album and then thereÆs a
brief organ interlude recalling Primal ScreamÆs Come Together û itÆs another
highly enjoyable track.
A heavier Cream-like fuzz adorns Special Girl, primitive keyboard sounds in
the style of early Athlete then appearing, but the track descends into a
slightly chaotic guitar-heavy mess with no standout melody, whilst Puzzles
follows a more minimal approach, with a wavy melody boosted by a burst of
fuzz-heavy guitar towards its conclusion before freeform drumming leads back
to its quieter origins. A punky guitar introduces Ordinary Boy, soft vocals
then leading to an unoriginal sounding chorus, but a lovely little guitar
melody then materialises like a sugary nugget of perfection.
ItÆs difficult to dislike any of the tracks here. Shoegaze fans should love
it and thereÆs many a sweet melody to keep plenty of others fully engaged
too. Very occasionally there is an element of mediocrity and you do feel that
they could easily raise themselves to the next level, but for now this is
another delicious helping of Apple Pie. Tuck in.
-=- SHGZ -=-
P.S.
** Thanks ***
*** BCC FNT IPC SSR ***
*** For Knowing Where The Music Is At ***
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* NuHS we miss you! *
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