[Photo credit: You Ain't No Picasso]
Last Friday, we saw Apples in Stereo, a founding ensemble of the Elephant 6 collective and one of the greatest indie pop acts ever, at a place called Cosmic Charlie's right here in Lex. Tickets were cheap and the venue was small and not an hour away (more if you count traffic)—all pluses in my book.
Lexington was the first stop on the Apples' tour to promote their new album, Travellers in Space and Time. Consequently, lots of talk on stage about time travel and being from the near-distant future. Robert Scheinder explained that unlike other bands that foretell of a world befallen by robot apocalypse, their vision of the future is a more happy, peaceful one where man rises above the challenges before him. When you combine all of these things with the lighting, artificial fog, and band members dressed up in crazy futuristic costumes, you know that you're in for a good time.
Interestingly enough, this was probably the most entertaining show I've attended since seeing The Flaming Lips and Beck share the same stage in Salt Lake City in 2002. Maybe I have a thing for bands that have a preoccupation with the future and the fall of man at the hands of robots.
The whole Apples set rocked and was so joyous and fun. One of my favorite moments was when the band brought out a trumpet and sax player to back them up for "Go!" As for the new songs, I think they sounded really great live—they had an extra spark that I can't quite pick up from the studio version. I also think the near-distant time travel theme is appropriate. The Apples in Stereo are probably best known for their bright and catchy 1960s pop/rock sound, and Travellers in Space and Time for the most part definitely beams them a few years forward into the realm of the 1970s and 80s.
They opened up their show with a song called "Dignified Dignitary," which might be my favorite song from the new album. It kind of sounds like something that the Beatles and Pavement would've collaborated on. And it talks about actuaries, something TJ knows a little about.
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