Misplaced Pages

#794205

87-574: The Apples in Stereo are an American indie rock band associated with Elephant 6 Collective . The band is largely the project of lead vocalist/guitarist/producer Robert Schneider , who writes the majority of the band's music and lyrics. Currently, The Apples in Stereo also includes longstanding members John Hill (rhythm guitar) and Eric Allen (bass), as well as more recent members John Dufilho (drums), John Ferguson (keyboards), and Ben Phelan (keyboards/guitar/trumpet). The band's sound draws comparisons to

174-637: A New World LP on an EP that was marked "Part 1". A second EP was planned, but never appeared; only the sleeve was printed. The first double EP released in Britain was the Beatles ' Magical Mystery Tour film soundtrack. Released in December 1967 on EMI's Parlophone label, it contained six songs spread over two 7-inch discs and was packaged with a lavish color booklet. In the United States and some other countries,

261-732: A World Inside the Moone and Velocity of Sound ; both of the latter of which were progressively aimed at capturing the live sound of the band, which continued to tighten as they continued to perform hundreds of live shows (about 100 a year). In particular, the 2002 album Velocity of Sound rejects most of the psych-pop production sensibilities that would come to be associated with the band, instead featuring stripped-down production and sparse, rock instrumentation. The band members would also continue to pursue careers in side bands and solo projects, with Schneider producing several albums for Elephant 6 artists. Schneider and drummer Hilarie Sidney were married for

348-612: A band called the Synthetic Flying Machine. While in Athens, the group began collaborating with New York musician Julian Koster . In 1993, the Synthetic Flying Machine evolved into a band called the Olivia Tremor Control , and the band gained local attention for their psychedelic sound, which was in contrast to the prevalent grunge sound of the 1990s. In the 1990s, bands joined Elephant 6 through invitation. Inspired by

435-589: A communal compound in Athens. In 2012, the official Elephant 6 website read: "A collective, a label ... a cult? Elephant 6 may be all of these things or none of these depending on your point of view. And we're certainly not going to try to define what it is now!" Elephant 6 originated in Ruston, Louisiana , in the late 1980s. The name was occasionally used to denote home recordings made by four high school friends: Bill Doss , Will Cullen Hart , Jeff Mangum , and Robert Schneider . These recordings were circulated between

522-405: A double EP could usually be more economically and sensibly recorded on a single vinyl LP . In the 1950s, Capitol Records had released a number of double EPs by its more popular artists, including Les Paul . The pair of double EPs (EBF 1–577, sides 1 to 8) were described on the original covers as "parts ... of a four-part album". In 1960, Joe Meek released four tracks from his planned I Hear

609-528: A further album in this format, 1985's " Drinking Gasoline ", on the Virgin Records label. Double EPs can also contain the work of multiple artists split across different sides, akin to split albums . An example of this is the Dunedin Double EP, which contains tracks by four different bands. Using a double EP in this instance allowed each band to have its tracks occupying a different side. In addition,

696-695: A musical level it's too soon to say. I mean, I don't want to say definitively that I don't want to make music again, but on a musical level there's no way to come to terms with the loss." The Olivia Tremor Control continued making music, and in 2017 Schneider confirmed he was producing unfinished recordings. Today, the Elephant 6 collective still exists, albeit on a much smaller scale. Bands like Elf Power and of Montreal continue to record music, and many bands have moved onto Elephant 6 offshoot labels such as Orange Twin Records and Cloud Recordings . Elephant 6 bands explore

783-457: A newly formed record label founded by Elijah Wood . This was followed by a long-awaited b-sides and rarities compilation titled Electronic Projects for Musicians , released on April 1. In 2008, spinART Records went out of business. Rights for all major releases by the Apples in Stereo on the label were subsequently acquired by One Little Indian Records , and have since reverted to the band. In

870-401: A pair of 7-inch discs recorded at 45 or 33 1 ⁄ 3 rpm , or two 12-inch discs recorded at 45 rpm. The format is useful when an album's worth of material is being pressed by a small plant geared for the production of singles rather than albums and may have novelty value which can be turned to advantage for publicity purposes. Double EPs are rare, since the amount of material record-able on

957-440: A recent interview, Schneider noted that the band's EPs have yet to have been re-released, but will likely be collected for another compilation. Such a compilation would probably include the re-releases of Look Away + 4 , Let's Go! and a number of non-album songs released alongside New Magnetic Wonder . On August 4, 2008, the band appeared again on The Colbert Report . They performed their song Can You Feel It? to promote

SECTION 10

#1732868731795

1044-480: A single song, instead resembling a mini album. EPs of original material regained popularity in the punk rock era, when they were commonly used for the release of new material, e.g. Buzzcocks ' Spiral Scratch EP. Ricardo Baca of The Denver Post said in 2010, "EPs—originally extended-play 'single' releases that are shorter than traditional albums—have long been popular with punk and indie bands." Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks. In

1131-538: A song from his project "Robert Bobbert and the bubble machine" and he described the album as sounding like early 1970s R&B as it would sound played by aliens and emanating from an alien spaceship.He also confirmed that the band was recording their new album at Trout Recording in Brooklyn, New York. In interviews in Billboard magazine and other press outlets, In April 2009, the single "Energy" from New Magnetic Wonder

1218-686: A specific type of 45 rpm phonograph record other than 78 rpm standard play (SP) and 33 rpm long play (LP), but as of 2024 , also applies to mid-length CDs and downloads as well. EPs are considered "less expensive and time-consuming" for an artist to produce than an album, and have long been popular with punk and indie bands. In K-pop and J-pop , they are usually referred to as mini-albums . EPs were released in various sizes in different eras. The earliest multi-track records, issued around 1919 by Grey Gull Records , were vertically cut 78 rpm discs known as "2-in-1" records. These had finer grooves than usual, like Edison Disc Records . By 1949, when

1305-439: A standard 45 rpm phonograph . In the early era, record companies released the entire content of LPs as 45 rpm EPs. These were usually 10-inch (25-cm) LPs (released until the mid-1950s) split onto two 7-inch EPs or 12-inch (30-cm) LPs split onto three 7-inch EPs, either sold separately or together in gatefold covers. This practice became much less common with the advent of triple-speed-available phonographs. Introduced by RCA in

1392-472: A time, with a son Max born in 2000. They have since been divorced. The band went on a brief hiatus during 2004 as Schneider released the debut album from a new band called Ulysses and Sidney released the debut album from her new band The High Water Marks ; both were released on Eenie Meenie Records . In 2005, the Apples in Stereo contributed "Liza Jane" to the Eenie Meenie compilation, Dimension Mix . It

1479-410: A trilogy of three EPs, beginning with She Is Coming , stated: "By delivering a trio of EPs throughout a period of several months, Miley is giving her fans more of what they want, only in smaller doses. When an artist drops an album, they run the risk of it being forgotten in a few weeks, at which point they need to start work on the follow-up, while still promoting and touring their recent effort. Miley

1566-523: A variety of music genres , including indie rock , synth-pop , and twee pop . A common interest for nearly every associated band, however, is psychedelic pop of the 1960s. Bands such as the Beach Boys , the Beatles , and the Zombies are important influences for Elephant 6 groups like the Apples in Stereo , Beulah , and the Olivia Tremor Control . Elephant 6's de facto leader Robert Schneider notes

1653-531: A wide range of musical expression, allowing for immediate and enduring growth, however loose the association." The collective has influenced many indie rock bands, including Arcade Fire , Franz Ferdinand , and Tame Impala . Chris Chu of the Canadian band the Morning Benders said: "Elephant 6 was the gateway for me. They seemed to be bridging that tradition from the 60s to a more modern, more indie approach. It

1740-442: Is a loosely defined musical collective from the United States. Notable bands associated with the collective include The Apples in Stereo , Beulah , Circulatory System , Elf Power , The Minders , Neutral Milk Hotel , of Montreal , and The Olivia Tremor Control . Although bands in Elephant 6 explore many different genres , they have a shared interest in psychedelic pop of the 1960s, with particular influence from bands such as

1827-478: Is doing her best to game the system by recording an album and delivering it to fans in pieces." However, this release strategy was later scrapped in favor of the conventional album release of Plastic Hearts . Major-label pop musicians who had previously employed such release strategies include Colbie Caillat with her fifth album Gypsy Heart (2014) being released following an EP of the album's first five tracks known as Gypsy Heart: Side A three months prior to

SECTION 20

#1732868731795

1914-410: Is happening now. But we're all just so happy." The Olivia Tremor Control reunited in 2009, and Mangum returned to the public eye with solo concerts over the next few years. On July 30, 2012, Doss died from a reported aneurysm . His death came as a shock to the collective, and stalled nearly all recordings at the time. Schneider said: "I can't say what it means for the Elephant 6 or the Apples ... On

2001-427: Is the mini-LP , which was a common album format in the 1980s. These generally contained 20–30 minutes of music and about seven tracks. A double extended play is a name typically given to vinyl records or compact discs released as a set of two discs, each of which would normally qualify as an EP. The name is thus analogous to double album . As vinyl records, the most common format for the double EP, they consist of

2088-615: The Record Mirror also printed EP charts. The popularity of EPs in the US had declined in the early 1960s in favor of LPs. In the UK, Cliff Richard and the Shadows , both individually and collectively, and the Beatles were the most prolific artists issuing EPs in the 1960s, many of them highly successful releases. The Beatles' Twist and Shout outsold most singles for some weeks in 1963. The success of

2175-520: The Surrealist Manifestos , members of the collective issued their own manifesto in small hand-drawn catalogs, found within early releases. According to Schneider: "We wanted [to find] these little pockets of people in different cities who listened to Pavement and the Beach Boys and were recording on 4-tracks." Schneider notes that another way a band may join is by simply having a similar sound. He uses Beulah as an example, and in reference to

2262-417: The psychedelic rock of The Beatles and The Beach Boys during the 1960s, as well as to bands such as Electric Light Orchestra and Pavement , and also draws from lo-fi , garage rock , new wave , R&B , bubblegum pop , power pop , punk , electro-pop and experimental music . The band is also well known for their appearance in a The Powerpuff Girls music video performing the song "Signal in

2349-412: The "in stereo" usually somewhat under-emphasized, whether in lower-case or in parentheses. Schneider described this in an interview: "It's very clearcut, actually: we're The Apples, the music's in stereo. It's not actually the band name – it's a step back from it, a band name once removed. We're The Apples, in stereo. Kind of like a TV show, 'in stereo!' That always seemed to be a really big deal, that it

2436-529: The 1950s. Examples are Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender from 1956 and "Just for You", " Peace in the Valley " and " Jailhouse Rock " from 1957, and the Kinks ' Kinksize Session from 1964. Twelve-inch EPs were similar, but generally had between three and five tracks and a length of over 12 minutes. Like seven-inch EPs, these were given titles. EP releases were also issued in cassette and 10-inch vinyl formats. With

2523-511: The 1980s) were introduced in 1970, with tracks selected from an album and packaging resembling the album they were taken from. This mini-LP format also became popular in America in the early 1970s for promotional releases, and also for use in jukeboxes . In 2010, Warner Bros. Records revived the format with their "Six-Pak" offering of six songs on a compact disc. Due to the increased popularity of music downloads and music streaming beginning

2610-430: The 1990s. Noel Murray and Marcus Gilmer of The A.V. Club note the difficulty in defining the exact parameters of the collective due to the multitude of associated acts. Each act has their own unique sound, and musicians are often members of multiple bands. This problem is compounded by the fact that members will sometimes obfuscate the truth, such as misleading a Rolling Stone reporter into believing they lived in

2697-521: The 45 rpm single and 33 1 ⁄ 3 rpm LP were competing formats, 7-inch 45 rpm singles had a maximum playing time of only about four minutes per side. Partly as an attempt to compete with the LP introduced in 1948 by rival Columbia , RCA Victor introduced "Extended Play" 45s during 1952 . Their narrower grooves, achieved by lowering the cutting levels and sound compression optionally, enabled them to hold up to 7.5 minutes per side—but still be played by

The Apples in Stereo - Misplaced Pages Continue

2784-561: The Aereoplane Over the Sea , saying it "is the culmination of everything the [Elephant 6] collective was about in the mid-'90s: distinctive, ragged, catchy records ripped straight from their makers' veins." Many bands associated with the collective were formed during this period, and Athens became a major hub city. Elf Power , of Montreal , and Doss' solo project the Sunshine Fix were among

2871-473: The Apples in Stereo had begun work on a new album, described as being "a very, very different sort of album." In recent years, Schneider has explored a number of experimental music projects, such as the Teletron mind-controlled synthesizer and Non-Pythagorean scale of his own invention. The death of Bill Doss, the band's keyboardist as well as the co-founder of fellow Elephant 6 band the Olivia Tremor Control ,

2958-426: The Apples in Stereo song "Energy." In early 2017, Schneider hinted at a new album called The Bicycle Day . He stated on Facebook that "Apples are working on a concept record called The Bicycle Day but it is too deep of a task to finish while I'm in graduate school ... it isn't a pop record though ... ( Air-Sea Dolphin and my band Spaceflyte with John Ferguson are the new pop projects though)". On August 10, 2017,

3045-418: The Apples in Stereo; Doss, Hart, and Mangum formed the Olivia Tremor Control; and Mangum independently formed Neutral Milk Hotel. These three bands would serve as the basis for Elephant 6, and soon, many other bands joined. Athens, Georgia , and Denver, Colorado , became major hub cities, and the mid-to-late 1990s represented the peak years of activity for the collective. Due to the confluence of new bands and

3132-590: The Apples played their first show since 2012 as a headlining act at the Athens Popfest music festival in Athens, Georgia with Marshmallow Coast , Antlered Auntlord, and Waxahatchee as prior performers. In 2018, Schneider received a PhD in mathematics from Emory. In 2021, Schneider became a mathematics lecturer at University of Georgia. As of 2022, Schneider is Assistant Professor, Mathematical Sciences at Michigan Technological University . The Elephant 6 Recording Company The Elephant 6 Recording Company

3219-432: The Beach Boys , the Beatles , and the Zombies . Their music sometimes features intentionally low fidelity production and experimental recording techniques. The collective started in Ruston, Louisiana in the late 1980s. The name was occasionally used to denote the home recordings made by four high school friends: Bill Doss , Will Cullen Hart , Jeff Mangum , and Robert Schneider . After high school, Schneider formed

3306-497: The EP in Britain lasted until around 1967, but it later had a strong revival with punk rock in the late 1970s and the adaptation of the format for 12-inch and CD singles. The British band Cocteau Twins made prolific use of the EP format, releasing ten EP's between 1982 and 1995. In the Philippines , seven-inch EPs marketed as " mini-LPs " (but distinctly different from the mini-LPs of

3393-463: The Sky (Let's Go)". It aired immediately after the show's seventh episode of season 4, "Superfriends", which was based on the song's lyrics. The band has appeared widely in television and film, including performances on The Colbert Report , Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Last Call with Carson Daly , guest hosting on MTV , song placements in numerous television shows, commercials and motion pictures,

3480-497: The US in 1952, EMI issued the first EPs in Britain in April 1954. EPs were typically compilations of singles or album samplers and were played at 45 rpm on 7-inch (18-cm) discs, with two songs on each side. The manufacturing price of an EP was a little more than that of a single. Thus, they were a bargain for those who did not own the LPs from which the tracks were taken. RCA had success in

3567-544: The United Kingdom, an EP can appear either on the album or the single chart. The Official Chart Company classifies any record with more than four tracks (not counting alternative versions of featured songs, if present) or with a playing time of more than 25 minutes as an album for sales-chart purposes. If priced as a single, they will not qualify for the main album chart but can appear in the separate Budget Albums chart. An intermediate format between EPs and full-length LPs

The Apples in Stereo - Misplaced Pages Continue

3654-517: The United States, the Recording Industry Association of America , the organization that declares releases "gold" or "platinum" based on numbers of sales, defines an EP as containing three to five songs or under 30 minutes. On the other hand, The Recording Academy 's rules for Grammy Awards state that any release with five or more different songs and a running time of over 15 minutes is considered an album, with no mention of EPs. In

3741-486: The Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle features recording techniques such as tape manipulation and sound collages . Schneider notes his hatred of both indie music and modern pop music, and said that his vision for Elephant 6 is a "perfect pop world," untarnished by commercial interests. Several journalists regard Elephant 6 as an important underground music movement, and a key contributor to

3828-424: The advent of the compact disc (CD), more music was often included on "single" releases, with four or five tracks being common, and playing times of up to 25 minutes. These extended-length singles became known as maxi singles and while commensurate in length to an EP were distinguished by being designed to feature a single song, with the remaining songs considered B-sides , whereas an EP was designed not to feature

3915-506: The album's songs were re-recorded at Studio .45 in Hartford, Connecticut before the album's release. In 1998, Chris McDuffie joined the band, playing various instruments including organs, synthesizers and assorted percussion. He would leave the band before Velocity of Sound was released in 2002. Several more albums were released by the band through the years, including the psychedelic "concept EP", Her Wallpaper Reverie , The Discovery of

4002-415: The album, they discussed new ideas, which in turn facilitated a need to make more music. The following year, Koster and Nesey Gallons organized the "Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour," a short concert tour that featured fifteen artists and ten Elephant 6 bands. Koster said "Elephant 6 is back," and added: "Somehow, everything's happening for us now. I don't know why we were ever interrupted, and why all this

4089-431: The alternative rock and indie rock explosion in the 1990s. Lee M. Shook Jr. of Paste wrote: "The Elephant 6 Recording Company would raise the bar for wide-scale countercultural activity and underground pop art—both musical, visual and otherwise—well into the 21st century." Tom Murphy of Westword expanded on this statement, by writing: "It became a movement of sorts because the music was so accessible and inclusive of

4176-460: The band's sound, he said: "This is a kindred spirit. This is Elephant 6." Schneider created a record label called the Elephant 6 Recording Company as a vehicle for the Apples music, and in 1993, the first recording released on the label was an extended play titled Tidal Wave . Around this time, Mangum left the Olivia Tremor Control, and became a vagabond. While living in Seattle , Mangum released

4263-412: The departure of Chris Parfitt, joined the band as a much welcomed permanent bassist. Late 1995, Schneider relocated Pet Sounds Studio to Jim McIntyre's house. McIntyre continued to be involved in the recording and engineering of the band's albums until the mid-2000s. A significantly different band from the original 1992 four-piece, the official name of the band gradually became "the Apples in Stereo", with

4350-425: The dissolution of Neutral Milk Hotel and the Olivia Tremor Control, the collective stagnated in activity in the early 2000s. A brief resurgence in the late 2000s ended with the death of Doss, and in recent years the collective has remained relatively dormant. Journalists have described Elephant 6 as an important underground music movement, and a key contributor to the emergence of alternative rock and indie rock in

4437-515: The following January, many of which were with the band Felt Pilotes . From February to April 1993, the band recorded their debut 7-inch EP , Tidal Wave , and released it in June as the first record ever to bear the Elephant 6 logo. Several conflicts would lead Parfitt to leave the band in early 1994. John Hill , a former bandmate of McIntyre's, would join the band as a rhythm guitarist while Schneider began to grow more comfortable playing lead guitar. It

SECTION 50

#1732868731795

4524-443: The format with Elvis Presley , issuing 28 EPs between 1956 and 1967 , many of which topped the separate Billboard EP chart during its brief existence. Other than those published by RCA, EPs were relatively uncommon in the United States and Canada, but they were widely sold in the United Kingdom, and in some other European countries, during the 1950s and 1960s. In Sweden, the EP was a popular record format, with as much as 85% of

4611-409: The four friends graduated high school, they dispersed to different cities in the United States, but continued to mail tapes to each other. Schneider moved to Denver, Colorado and formed a band called the Apples in 1992 with Jim McIntyre , Hilarie Sidney and Chris Parfitt . Doss, Hart, and Mangum moved to Athens, Georgia . The three were drawn to the city's burgeoning music scene , and played in

4698-424: The four of them, and they did not seek approval from record labels or fanzines . Musician Laura Carter said: "They were just 13-year-old boys yelling, 'Fuck your mama,' and bashing on the drums as hard as they can. It was just kids having fun, and they would fill up a whole cassette tape with this." When the group decided to create an imaginary label for their music, Hart came up with the name Elephant 6. When

4785-406: The full album; and Jessie J 's fourth studio album R.O.S.E. (2018) which was released as four EPs in as many days entitled R (Realisations) , O (Obsessions) , S (Sex) and E (Empowerment) . The first EPs were seven-inch vinyl records with more tracks than a normal single (typically four of them). Although they shared size and speed with singles, they were a recognizably different format than

4872-477: The greatest amount of activity for the collective. The three main bands associated with Elephant 6 at the time–the Apples in Stereo, the Olivia Tremor Control, and Neutral Milk Hotel–grew in popularity, and each respectively released a notable album: Fun Trick Noisemaker , Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle , and In the Aeroplane Over the Sea . The A.V. Club wrote highly of In

4959-404: The groove on the physical record could be wider and thus allow for a louder album. In the 1960s and 1970s, record companies released EP versions of long-play (LP) albums for use in jukeboxes . These were commonly known as "compact 33s" or "little LPs". The jukebox EP was played at 33 1 ⁄ 3 rpm, was pressed on seven-inch vinyl and frequently had as many as six songs. What made it EP-like

5046-495: The idea of having a rock band similar to The Velvet Underground or Black Sabbath , with production qualities similar to that of The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Schneider then spent two weeks in Athens, Georgia recording music and spending time with his childhood friends Will Cullen Hart , Bill Doss and Jeff Mangum . He discussed the idea of starting a record label with them (which soon became The Elephant 6 Recording Company ). It

5133-635: The larger bands allowed the smaller bands to open for them. Denver was the smaller of the two hub cities. In addition to the Apples in Stereo, the major bands from Denver were the Minders , Dressy Bessy , and McIntyre's solo project Von Hemmling . The main draw for Elephant 6 bands in Denver was Pet Sounds Studio , a recording studio Schneider built in McIntyre's house. Many Elephant 6 albums were recorded at Pet Sounds, and were produced by Schneider. In addition to

5220-415: The late 2000s, EPs have become a common marketing strategy for pop musicians wishing to remain relevant and deliver music in more consistent timeframes leading to or following full studio albums. In the late 2000s to early 2010s, reissues of studio albums with expanded track listings were common, with the new music often being released as stand-alone EPs. In October 2010, a Vanity Fair article regarding

5307-464: The makeup of the band as they toured the country in late 1994, recording the first half of their new album in Glendora, California . In early 1995, the band finished the album, Fun Trick Noisemaker , at Kyle Jones's house (the birthplace of Schneider's Pet Sounds Studio ). Now with an LP to support, the band began touring again. Eric Allen , whom the band had previously auditioned as a guitarist after

SECTION 60

#1732868731795

5394-530: The market in the late 1950s consisting of EPs. Billboard introduced a weekly EP chart in October 1957, noting that "the teen-age market apparently dominates the EP business, with seven out of the top 10 best-selling EPs featuring artists with powerful teen-age appeal — four sets by Elvis Presley, two by Pat Boone and one by Little Richard ". Other publications such as Record Retailer , New Musical Express ( NME ) , Melody Maker , Disc and Music Echo and

5481-419: The members of the Olivia Tremor Control wanted to record their own solo music. Beulah member Pat Noel said many bands were dismayed at how journalists would " pigeonhole " them to the collective. "We kind of made a conscious decision to distance ourselves a little bit from the whole thing." Schneider took a break from producing albums, and the final album to be affixed with the Elephant 6 Recording Company logo

5568-549: The more notable Athens based groups. of Montreal frontperson Kevin Barnes said: "The heyday, most of the late 1990s, everyone was involved in each others lives, and we would collaborate more, have dinners where everyone would make something." Schneider compares this period to the Summer of Love , and said the driving force for many of the bands was "out-weirding [their] neighbor" with their music. Elephant 6 bands would tour with each other,

5655-575: The particular influence of the Beach Boys' unfinished album Smile , calling it the " Holy Grail " for many members of the collective. He notes how he and other members were obsessed with Beach Boys albums, and attempted to create the type of music they felt would have been included in Smile . Most Elephant 6 members are anti-consumerism and possess a DIY ethic . Their music sometimes features intentionally low quality production, and bands may experiment with unique recording methods; for example, Music from

5742-562: The performance of the single "Energy" by the contestants on American Idol , and a song recorded for children's show Yo Gabba Gabba . In late 1991, Robert Schneider met Jim McIntyre on a commuter bus in Denver, Colorado . Schneider had recently moved to Colorado from Ruston, Louisiana , and often initiated conversations with McIntyre. When Schneider asked McIntyre what his music interests were, McIntyre named his two favorite bands: The Beatles and The Beach Boys — two bands which Schneider

5829-897: The release of the Japanese picture disc. In early 2008, their song "Same Old Drag" won in The 7th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Pop/Rock Song. The same year Apples in Stereo were nominated for Independent Music Awards Pop/Rock Album of the Year. The band members also joined the 9th annual Independent Music Awards judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers. Yep Roc released #1 Hits Explosion , an Apples in Stereo best-of album, on September 1, 2009. In late 2008, PepsiCo released an advertisement with their song "Energy" off of their album New Magnetic Wonder . In early 2009, Robert appeared on ABC News's segment called "amplified" and gave some short performances of songs from New Magnetic Wonder and

5916-452: The second to leave the band, due to a number of personal distresses as well as stylistic changes that arose with Parfitt's departure. Having great difficulty finding a new permanent bassist, the band would rotate a number of frequent bass contributors, including Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel , Kurt Heasley of The Lilys , Kyle Jones, Joel Richardson, and Joel Evans. Jim McIntyre would also occasionally guest on bass. This continued to be

6003-617: The seven-inch single. Although they could be named after a lead track, they were generally given a different title. Examples include the Beatles ' The Beatles' Hits EP from 1963, and the Troggs ' Troggs Tops EP from 1966, both of which collected previously released tracks. The playing time was generally between 10 and 15 minutes. In the UK they came in cardboard picture sleeves at a time when singles were usually issued in paper company sleeves. EPs tended to be album samplers or collections of singles. EPs of all original material began to appear in

6090-419: The song " Everything Is " on Cher Doll Records in 1994, and was the first member of the collective to have their music released on a mainstream label, although the release was not directly affiliated with the Elephant 6 collective and did not feature the Elephant 6 logo. Mangum released the song under the name Neutral Milk Hotel. The Apples were later known as the Apples in Stereo . The mid-to-late 1990s saw

6177-414: The song "Stephen Stephen" recorded by the Apples in Stereo to glorify the show's host Stephen Colbert , to kick off a guitar solo contest between Colbert and Chris Funk of The Decemberists . On February 6, 2007, the Apples in Stereo released their sixth studio LP, New Magnetic Wonder . Finishing a ten-year deal with spinART Records , New Magnetic Wonder was the premiere release on Simian Records ,

6264-522: The songs are spread across two 12" 45 rpm discs. Also, the vinyl pressing of Hail to the Thief by Radiohead uses this practice but is considered to be a full-length album. In 1982 Cabaret Voltaire released their studio album " 2x45 " on the UK-based label Rough Trade , featuring extended tracks over four sides of two 12-inch 45 rpm discs, with graphics by artist Neville Brody . The band subsequently released

6351-426: The songs were augmented by the band's single A- and B-sides from 1967 to create a full LP –a practice that was common in the US but considered exploitative in the UK. The Style Council album The Cost of Loving was originally issued as two 12-inch EPs. It is more common for artists to release two 12-inch 45s rather than a single 12-inch LP. Though there are 11 songs that total about 40 minutes, enough for one LP,

6438-649: The style of Electric Light Orchestra . The record is the first Apples in Stereo album without Hilarie Sidney, making Schneider the last founding member remaining in the group, although John Hill joined before "in stereo" was added to the name. The band was invited by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that he curated in March 2012 in Minehead, England. Schneider announced in May 2012 that

6525-425: The time the Elephant 6 thing was getting out of hand, and we started seeing all of these bands that had little Elephant 6 logos on them all over the place" said Spillane. Bands began to tour more often, and the members had less time to interact with each other. Additionally, Neutral Milk Hotel and the Olivia Tremor Control went on hiatus. Mangum became reclusive as he struggled to cope with his newfound stardom, while

6612-685: The trend noted post-album EPs as "the next step in extending albums' shelf lives, following the "deluxe" editions that populated stores during the past few holiday seasons—add a few tracks to the back end of an album and release one of them to radio, slap on a new coat of paint, and—voila!—a stocking stuffer is born." Examples of such releases include Lady Gaga 's The Fame Monster (2009) following her debut album The Fame (2008), and Kesha 's Cannibal (2010) following her debut album Animal (2010). A 2019 article in Forbes discussing Miley Cyrus ' plan to release her then-upcoming seventh studio album as

6699-695: The two main hub cities, Elephant 6 bands began forming in various cities in the United States, such as the Essex Green and the Ladybug Transistor in Brooklyn , and Beulah in San Francisco . In the early 2000s, Elephant 6 stagnated in activity. Neutral Milk Hotel member and the Gerbils frontman Scott Spillane identifies the sudden uptick of bands across the country as an important factor to this period. "At

6786-429: Was Cul-De-Sacs and Dead Ends by the Minders in 1999. The collective slowly dissipated, although bands like the Apples in Stereo, Elf Power, and of Montreal continued making music throughout the 2000s. The collective was relatively dormant until the release of New Magnetic Wonder , a 2007 album by the Apples in Stereo. New Magnetic Wonder featured all four of the collective's originating members. While recording

6873-406: Was also around this time that news began to circulate among various websites concerning the band's next studio album. In August 2006, longtime drummer Hilarie Sidney officially announced her departure from the band during the band's closing set at the Athens Popfest music festival in Athens, Georgia . Her replacement, John Dufilho , lead singer and principal songwriter of The Deathray Davies ,

6960-448: Was also at this time that Schneider began to take stronger creative control of the band, shifting its sound from its stronger rock qualities to a spacier pop sound. The band started work on a debut album, but it instead became Hypnotic Suggestion , a second EP. However, after SpinART Records offered to buy the band an 8-track in return for an album, new plans for an LP arose. In mid-1994, after Hypnotic Suggestion , McIntyre would be

7047-481: Was also at this time that the name The Apples came about, inspired by the Pink Floyd song " Apples and Oranges ". The earliest incarnation of the band began to form in 1992 upon Schneider's return to Denver, first between Schneider and Parfitt, both of whom played guitar. The two recruited McIntyre and Sidney during the autumn of that year, practicing material through the winter. Their first few live shows took place

7134-419: Was announced in October 2006. 2006 touring member Bill Doss of the Olivia Tremor Control also quietly joined the band "officially" as its new keyboardist. John Ferguson of Big Fresh and Ulysses joined the Apples in 2007, also playing keyboards, and wearing a Doctor Who -esque space suit on stage. In December 2006, Robert Schneider appeared on the popular television show The Colbert Report singing

7221-566: Was announced on July 31, 2012. The cause of death was an aneurysm. Schneider released a statement saying, "I am heartbroken by the loss of my life-long friend, collaborator and band-mate. My world will never be the same without the wonderful, funny, supremely creative Bill Doss." The band went into hiatus in the fall of 2012, after Doss' death and Schneider's acceptance into the PhD program in Mathematics at Emory University . In 2013, Phish started covering

7308-496: Was exactly what I was looking for, a new take on that stuff." In 2022 a documentary was released called A Future History Of: The Elephant 6 Recording Co. On RottenTomatoes the film currently has a 100% positive review rate. The official Elephant 6 website lists forty-seven acts associated with the collective, although Shook Jr. reports there are more than fifty. Among the collective's more notable acts include: Extended play An extended play (EP) originally referred to

7395-472: Was in stereo." McIntyre later remarked, "It's cool the name changed cause the Apples and the Apples in Stereo were really two different entities." The band continued touring through 1996, playing in Japan for the first time. Several early recording sessions were held at Pet Sounds for the band's second album, Tone Soul Evolution , but the members were dissatisfied with the quality of the recordings. The majority of

7482-529: Was particularly fond of. Realizing that they shared many musical interests, McIntyre introduced Schneider to Hilarie Sidney . McIntyre already had a band called Von Hemmling in which McIntyre played bass and Sidney played drums. With Schneider, they discussed the idea of starting a band and perhaps a recording label. Schneider later met Chris Parfitt , who at the time was also already in a band (which Schneider unsuccessfully auditioned for on bass). Schneider and Parfitt also became friends, however, and toyed with

7569-569: Was performed by the contestants on the television show American Idol and also appears in the AGL Energy commercial in Australia. The result was the band's seventh album Travellers in Space and Time , released on April 20, 2010, on Simian Records . Described by Schneider as a " retro-futuristic " concept album intended as a time capsule for listeners of the future, Travellers has drawn comparisons to

#794205