Robert Schneider of Apples (In Stereo) says, " I wanted to do something that sounded like Gary Numan crossed with ELO." Expo, under his side project name Marbles, is a quirky and brilliant masterpiece of pure pop which achieves just what he proclaims, mostly. Synthetic and spontaneous, with retro urgency and futuristic leaning, Expo is, according to Amplifier, "a paean to the sounds of the early 80`s: vintage synth whooshes and Cars-style guitars." And, well...there you go! That is Marbles. It`s an homage, no doubt.....and he names his objects of affection here accurately. I don`t think his is any serious, new direction thing for Schneider...it`s a fun, side project done for himself and which he`s sharing with fans..and it`s a lot of fun. "Realizing that these synth-drenched, `80s-inspired Pop songs would never fly in the Apples` universe, he resurrected Marbles, the solo persona he invented just prior to forming the Apples in 1992. Marbles` debut, Expo, lives up to Schneider`s admitted goal of trying to cross Gary Numan with ELO, especially on the 10-track, 25-minute disc`s opener, "Circuit" and the lilting "When You Open," jammed with Vocoder back-ups and mechanical percussion and synthesizer buzz. But Schneider can hardly suppress the rush of his Apples tree, and that potent component of his muse bubbles up through the `80s influence on the Cars-like "Out of Zone" and "Cruel Sound," while the title track sounds like intermission music at an `80s drive-in theater. The only problem with Schneider`s Marbles is there`s too few of them. A brief and sugary delight. B+"-Brian Baker, CityBeat.
 Magic - mp3
Hello Sun - mp3
When You Open - mp3 |
