Los Angeles, CA – September 19, 2006 – Celebrated indie rock band The Apples in Stereo have been signed to a new label and will release their first album in five years, the pop triumph New Magnetic Wonder. Scheduled for release on February 7th, New Magnetic Wonder marks the debut album to be distributed on Elijah Wood’s newly formed Simian Records (co-released and distributed via Yep Roc Records/Elephant 6/Redeye Distribution). [More]
Category: Original TORn
REVERED INDIE ROCK BAND THE APPLES IN STEREO RETURN WITH FIRST NEW ALBUM IN FIVE YEARS
NEW MAGNETIC WONDER TO BE INAUGURAL RELEASE ON ELIJAH WOOD’S NEWLABEL, SIMIAN RECORDS
New Magnetic Wonder Released on February 7
Los Angeles, CA – September 19, 2006 – Celebrated indie rock band The Apples in Stereo have been signed to a new label and will release their first album in five years, the pop triumph New Magnetic Wonder. Scheduled for release on February 7th, New Magnetic Wonder marks the debut album to be distributed on Elijah Wood’s newly formed Simian Records (co-released and distributed via Yep Roc Records/Elephant 6/Redeye Distribution).
Apples lead singer Robert Schneider met Wood at SXSW music festival in Austin, TX in 2003. As fate would have it, the Apples, who recently departed from their long-time label spinART, were looking for a new label at exactly the same time Wood was launching Simian Records.
“I’ve been a fan of the Apples for years,” said Elijah Wood. “I’m truly honored and excited that New Magnetic Wonder will be Simian Records first release.”
Glenn Dicker, President and Co-owner of Yep Roc Records continues, “Everyone at Yep Roc is very excited about the relationship we are building with Elijah and his new label. Given our mutual passion for the Apples, this is a fantastic record to get the ball rolling with on this new venture. We’re looking forward to doing many new projects together in the future.”
New Magnetic Wonder is an ambitious LP clocking in at 53 minutes containing 14 songs and 12 additional musical segue-ways (or ‘link tracks’ as Schneider refers to them). The album features an array of special guests including many members of the Elephant 6 collective. Sticking with their indie-rock pedigree the Apples sought the production skills of acclaimed engineer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Sebadoh, Phish, Sean Lennon) who mixed their last record “Velocity of Sound.”
Recorded in five cities (Brooklyn, NY; Lexington, NY; Denver, CO; Athens, GA; and Benton, KY) over 12 months, the recording and completion of New Magnetic Wonder spanned great change within the band (which includes bass player Eric Allen and guitarist John Hill). New Magnetic Wonder led Schneider through a labyrinth of new directions, including the recent departure of the band’s longtime drummer and second vocalist, Hilarie Sidney, to focus on her own band The High Water Marks, as well as Schneider’s invention of a new musical scale.
The “Non-Pythagorean Scale” will be featured on an enhanced portion of this multimedia CD release, which includes digital files for MIDI usage and an in-depth description by Schneider of the Non-Pythagorean scale both in both document and video form.
New Magnetic Wonder contains such fist pumping anthems as “Can You Feel It?,” the 70’s AM radio-esque “Same Old Drag,” the slice of infectious vocoder heaven “Joanie Don’t U Worry” (a ‘link track’ throwback to the ‘Computer Love’ of the late 80s/early 90s), and the Mellotron majesty of “Energy.” This is perfect music for Jeff Lynne and Brian Wilson to make-out to.
However, this is a mere fraction of New Magnetic Wonder’s pop conquest!
National and regional tour dates for the Apples in Stereo will be announced shortly.
Track Listing:
SIDE 1
1. Can You Feel It?
2. Skyway
3. Mellotron 1
4. Energy
5. Same Old Drag
6. Joanie Don’t U Worry
7. Sunndal Song**
8. Droplet
9. Play Tough
10. Sun is Out
11. Non-Pythagorean Composition 1
SIDE 2
12. Hello Lola
13. 7 Stars
14. Mellotron 2
15. Sunday Sounds**
16. Open Eyes
17. Crimson
18. Pre-Crimson
19. Vocoder Ba Ba
20. Radiation
21. Beautiful Machine Parts 1-2
22. Beautiful Machine Parts 3-4
23. My Pretend
24. Non-Pythagorean Composition 3
**Composed by Hilarie Sidney
Fraser writes: The New Zealand screenings of “John Howe–There and Back Again” are the Asia Pacific Premiere for this Swedish/Swiss documentary which features in the 2nd DOCNZ International Documentary Film Festival that starts in Wellington this week. The two screenings at Wellington’s Paramount Theatre are at 12.30pm Tuesday 26 Sept and at 8.40pm Thursday 28 Sept. When I bought a ticket to each yesterday (Saturday, Wellington time), I was told very few had sold! [More]
Fraser writes: The New Zealand screenings of “John Howe–There and Back Again” are the Asia Pacific Premiere for this Swedish/Swiss documentary which features in the 2nd DOCNZ International Documentary Film Festival that starts in Wellington this week (according to the Festival programme).
The two screenings at Wellington’s Paramount Theatre (about a hundred metres/yards north of the ROTK World Premiere Venue–the Embassy Theatre–in the city) are at 12.30pm Tuesday 26 Sept and at 8.40pm Thursday 28 Sept.
When I bought a ticket to each yesterday (Saturday, Wellington time), I was told very few had sold!
Here are details from the programme:
“Animation has seen major developments in the film industry in recent times and one of the most successful fantasy illustrators in the world today, John Howe, is responsible for the mysterious and magical images found in the Lord of the Rings triology. Featuring interviews with Peter Jackson, H.R. Giger, and Howe’s collaborator Alan Lee, the film explores how fantasy and reality collide in John’s work as well as in his own personal world.”
Festivals: Espoo Cine 06, Neuchatel Int. Fanatstic FF 06.
Director: Francois Boetschi & Anders Banke
Running Time: 52 mins
Sweden/Switzerland 2004
The great news is that the Festival programme advises that all films are either in English or have been subtitled (I think this documentary might have been in German or French originally) so English-language ringers like me can now appreciate it too!
Anyone wanting to make a special trip to Wellington to see this documentary (which has already screened twice in Auckland) can purchase their ticket(s) from the Paramount Theatre by phone or fax.
Phone Wellington 384 4080
From Australia: 0011 64 4 384 4080)
Fax Wellington 384 4408
From Australia: 0011 64 4 384 4408)
Disabled access available
Theatre website: paramount.co.nz
David writes: I represent Miramar North School in Wellington New Zealand. We have been gifted two genuine showcase items for school fundraising.
Item 1 is the Weta Statue of Gandalf the White on Shadowfax. This is personally signed by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor and the artist Brigitte Wuest.
Item 2 is The 1991 Alan Lee illustrated edition of Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of The Rings’. This is personally autographed by Peter Jackson & Alan Lee. Alan has also sketched an original hobbit inside the front cover. Both come with certificates of authenticity from Peter Jackson’s office.
Weta Statue of Gandalf the White on Shadowfax [eBay Listing]
1991 Alan Lee illustrated edition of Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of The Rings’ [eBay Listing]
The “Dork” is finally out of the box — the two-disc collector’s box, that is. “The Dork of the Rings,” Edwardsburg director Tim Richardson’s long-awaited spoof of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy will be shown Saturday and Sunday at Wiekamp Hall on the Indiana University South Bend campus, but fans of the parody also may want to check out the DVD set filled with behind-the-scenes extras, a making-of documentary, music videos and a historical featurette, to boot. [More]