Apples in Stereo

With New Magnetic Wonder, Apples in Stereo main singer-songwriter Robert Schneider has written and produced the equivalent of a pop symphony — a category that includes such albums as the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and A New World Record by Electric Light Orchestra. Out of the album's 24 tracks, there are 12 gems and 12 segues, creating one long, uninterrupted dream. Unsurprisingly, Wonder breaks ground as the Colorado collective's most elaborate studio effort yet: The Apples spent over a year in the studio, recorded in five different cities, used everything from mandolins to Mellotrons, and then mixed songs employing 96 separate tracks. While this uptown swank and opulence may seem a little lavish for longtime fans — after all, gone is the lo-fi hippie experimentation of 2000's Look Away — the blistering and bubbly "Energy" is so universally catchy, it could be the next Coke jingle.