New Magnetic Wonder is the sixth studio album from The Apples in Stereo. The album was produced by Robert Schneider with additional production and mixing by Bryce Goggin and was recorded in four separate states. The album was released on February 6, 2007 via a co-venture between the actor Elijah Wood's Simian Records, Yep Roc Records and Elephant 6. In an interview, Robert Schneider has described New Magnetic Wonder as an album with sensibilities between the Apples in Stereo albums Fun Trick Noisemaker and The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone, as well as a heavy influence from 1970s bands such as Electric Light Orchestra and Queen. Schneider has also admitted Smile by Brian Wilson as an early influence on the album.
Background
Tour
In early 2005, Schneider performed "Skyway" during his Marbles tour. The Apples in Stereo also performed new songs such as "Open Eyes", "Play Tough", "Can You Feel It?" and "Energy" while on the New Magnetic Wonder 2006 pre-release tour. Initially, the tour lineup featured lead singer and guitarist Robert Schneider, bassist Eric Allen, guitarist John Hill and drummer Hilarie Sidney as well as the addition of Elephant 6 co-founder Bill Doss on keyboards. On August 12, 2006, during Athens Popfest, it was announced that longtime drummer Hilarie Sidney was leaving the band. On October 30, 2006, John Dufilho was announced as the band's new drummer. John Ferguson also joined the tour lineup to perform additional keyboards and vocals.
New label
It was announced on September 19, 2006 that The Apples in Stereo have been signed to Simian Records, a new record label formed by Elijah Wood. Wood, a dedicated Apples fan, met Robert Schneider at SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas during 2003. New Magnetic Wonder was the first release on the newly formed label, co-released, marketed and distributed through Yep Roc Records, Elephant 6 and Redeye Distribution, as well as the first album by The Apples in Stereo not released through spinART Records
Reception
New Magnetic Wonder has received positive reviews, and has been described in the press as a "masterpiece." On review aggregate site Metacritic, the album has a 78 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews." This album was #28 on Rolling Stones list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.
Track listing
New Magnetic Wonder consists of 14 songs and 10 musical segues. All tracks written by Robert Schneider except where noted. Disc 1: NB-39
"Can You Feel It?" – 4:10
"Skyway" – 2:40
"Mellotron 1" – 0:33
"Energy" – 3:30
"Same Old Drag" - 3:25
"Joanie Don't U Worry" – 0:46
"Sunndal Song" – 3:31
"Droplet" – 0:13
"Play Tough" – 3:27
"Sun is Out" – 2:29
"Non-Pythagorean Composition 1" – 0:30
"Hello Lola" – 0:15
"7 Stars" – 3:46
"Mellotron 2" – 0:41
Disc 2: DT-13
"Sunday Sounds" – 2:59
"Open Eyes" – 5:12
"Crimson" – 0:17
"Pre-Crimson" – 1:24
"Vocoder Ba Ba" – 0:14
"Radiation" – 3:14
"Beautiful Machine Parts 1-2" – 2:36
"Beautiful Machine Parts 3-4" – 4:58
"My Pretend" – 0:42
"Non-Pythagorean Composition 3" – 0:49
The song "Atom Bomb" - 2:37 - is featured as Track 7 in the Vinyl Release between tracks 6 and 7.
New Magnetic Wonder touts Schneider's invention of a new musical scale: the "Non-Pythagorean scale". The enhanced CD version of the album features descriptions of the scale as well as digital files for MIDI usage. Two songs composed using this scale have been included on the album, with a third as a bonus track on the enhanced CD.
Enhanced CD content
The enhanced CD version of the album features the following supplemental content:
Three pop collages by Andrew McLaughlin, from which the album art was derived. All three images are.jpg files.
*"Acid Eden"
*"Bob Dylan's Enlightenment"
*"Sightseeing"
Two short films, both.mov files.
*Dr. Robert featuring the song "Droplet"
*A brief demonstration of the Non-Pythagorean scale by Robert Schneider
Lyrics and liner notes.
Various descriptions and explanations of the Non-Pythagorean scale, including.wav files, a SoundFont file and instructions for tuning a keyboard to the Non-Pythagorean scale.
Personnel
;The Apples in Stereo
Robert Schneider - lead and backing vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, acoustic and electric piano, organ, synthesizer, Mellotron, vocoder, electronic effects, percussion, handclaps, bass guitar, non-Pythagorean music scale
Hilarie Sidney - lead and backing vocals, drums, percussion, handclaps, rhythm guitar
Eric Allen - bass guitar, backing vocals, echoplex, space guitar, handclaps
John Hill - rhythm guitar, phase shift, backing vocals, handclaps
;Production New Magnetic Wonder was produced by Robert Schneider. The album was co-produced and engineered by Bryce Goggin at Trout Recording, Brooklyn, New York. Schneider and Goggin also mixed the album. It was mastered by Fred Kevorkian. Original recording, mixing and mastering was conducted September 2005 to September 2006 in multiple studios, utilizing analog tape machines and digital computers. Additional engineering is by:
The Apples in Stereo
Adam Sachs
Craig Morris
Otto Helmuth
Bill Doss
Pete Fitzpatrick
Jas Osborne
Jeff Holland
Assistant engineering is by Ryan Shono, Alec Fellman, and Jack Schlinkert. Album art collages are by Andrew McLaughlin with graphic design by Mary Gunn.
