Out of View… Rear view mirror
Review: The History of Apple Pie – Out of View
Published on March 5th, 2013 | Jonny Abrams
Obvious reference points come flocking to mind when listening to The History of Apple Pie’s debut album Out of View, so much so that it makes reviewing the thing seem almost redundant – however, we’ve listened to it and actually quite enjoyed its early-’90s fuzz-pop homages, so here goes.
You should be able to glean all you need to know straight from the off in the form of opener “Tug”: distortion and Stephanie Minn’s sweetly airy vocal are applied to driving MBV/JAMC-influenced pop, but it’s a formula capable of satisfying beyond the distinct lack of originality. After all, it’s hard not to be lulled by the soft, milky texture of Minn’s voice, while the songwriting is more or less up to scratch throughout.
The jangle/power-pop of “See You” is at once heavenly and derivative to the nth degree, earning itself the benefit of the doubt by dint of getting the ‘head rush’ element about right, and therein lies pretty much the story of Out of View: it sounds lovely but, in the grand scheme of music, its only purpose would seemingly be to draw attention to the erstwhile greats it was influenced by. On the other hand, this will soundtrack summers and elicit varying life associations from people, and for that it is entirely worthwhile.
“Do It Wrong” offers a welcome change of scenery with its wonky guitar and silly whooshing sound – nice, lightly dissonant double-harmony on it, too – and the Blur-like stomp of “Before You Reach the End” erupts with tumultuous lead guitar and, yes, more of those luscious harmonies. The History of Apple Pie sound good, and in a way that’s enough – another LP’s worth of similar fare would be pushing their luck, though.
Rocksucker says: Three Quails out of Five!
Out of View is out now on Marshall Teller. For more information, please visit www.thehistoryofapplepie.com
Click here to read Rocksucker’s interview with The History of Apple Pie!
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About the Author
Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.
