Fun Trick Noisemaker [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Japanese edition of the U.S. indie act's 1995 full-length debut album includes two bonus tracks, 'Shine (In Your Mind)' & 'Thank You Very Much'. Trattoria. 2002.

Tracks:

The Narrator
Tidal Wave
High Tide
Green Machine
Winter Must Be Cold
She's Just Like Me/Taking Time
Glowworm
Dots 1-2-3
Lucky Charm
Innerspace
Show The World
Love You Alice/D
Pine Away

Customer Reviews:

Fun noisemakers!.......2007-03-19

The Apples in Stereo are currently riding high with their astounding new album, so it seems time to revisit their 1995 debut. "Fun Trick Noisemaker" is a shining, colourful swirl of lo-fi pop music, with a sort of sunny sixties vibe under the fuzz. It's not their most polished work, but it is a delightful little album with plenty of spirit.

There's a brief intro, a clip from a 1950s stereo test. But that's just to get us started for "Tidal Wave," a fast-paced, sparkling pop song that hurtles over a wave of infectious hooks. "Went for a walk and I climbed up a tower/it seemed like a thousand years/til I reached the top, oh and I picked a flower/that grew through the stratosphere!" crows Rob Schneider.

If "Tidal Wave" doesn't sweep you away, then you're officially made of stone. It serves to snare listeners in for the other songs, as well as being the funnest, catchiest tune on here.

They tumble happily into a bunch of happy-go-lucky pop -- sunny bouncy guitarpop, shimmering slow-turning psychedelica, skittering spacey sound effects, sparkling pop ballads about someone who's "just like me," and the almost painfully enchanting "Glowworm" and "Show the World."

The Apples in Stereo have always been the happiest, perkiest band in the Elephant 6 Collective, and "Fun Trick Noisemaker" really shows this off. There's no sullen self-consciousness or pretensions in their music. No way. They're all about musically worshiping Brian Wilson, and creating music that is both catchy and musically adept.

They're still a bit rough here, but Schneider and his bandmates create some incredibly complex, catchy songs full of summer sun and innocent fun. They make good use of nimble guitars, solid drums, shimmering keyboard and some swoopy spacey synth. In true Elephant 6 style, the whole thing is laid over with a layer of fuzz, but not so much that the melodies are obscured.

Rob Schneider doesn't fare quite as well, since his boyish voice is sometimes swamped by the music. But when you can hear him, he sings very nicely, and the cheery lyrics don't hurt at all. "Run round a field or meadow/don't trip up on a sugarcane/fall down in a lazy shadow/then you'll know how it feels/To know you're not real." Whatever you say, Rob.

"Fun Trick Noisemaker" is the Apples in Stereo at their roughtest, but their debut album is a charming, sparkling collection of psychpop. A little classic.

Very good, best Apples Album.......2004-10-02

This great debut, though not polished, is the best the Apples in Stereo have to offer. The songs are very upbeat and reminiscent of the Beach Boys, though Schneider's nasal vocals can be a little irritating, they are tolerable and fit with the songs. Highlights of the Cd are the first 9 songs except the intro narrative, especially "Greenmachine" and "Glowworm". If you like sunny upbeat music this Cd is definantly for you, and if you have to own one Cd of the Apples in Stereo this is the one to own.

Their best album, from what I can tell.......2002-04-13

I don't have all of AIS' albums, but of the three I either own, or have owned, this one's much better than "Tone Soul Evolution" and TONS better than "World Inside the Moone," which I turned right around and sold about two weeks after buying it (read my review of it!).

This album does sound original, not too derivative of the sunny 60s, and is a helluva lot of fun. It sounds a LOT like Let's Active to me as well -- Schneider's vocals are almost dead-on Mitch Easter. The only flaws, as with other Apples albums, are that I'm not too fond of Hilarie's vocals, and there were a few times when I was listening to the album that I forgot I was listening to it; that is, I sort of tuned out.

"Dots 123" is my favorite song on the album, by the way. A FUN blowout!!

Psychedelic Wonderland.......2002-03-08

How this band can play such ultra-lighthearted, blissful, trippy pop reminiscient of Saturday morning cartoons when Gen X were children without being schmaltzy and pointless, I have no idea. Must be genius. :~)

Like many I saw them first on Cartoon Network in the video for their great "Signal in the Sky" song done for the Powerpuff Girls series. But since then I've delved deeper into the band's work and found a lot of gems there. My favourite Apples songs weren't to be found here, but there were some great new discoveries to be made.

As I said before, their music is pure fun, pop in its truest and purest sense. Most bands that try this come across as trite and silly, but not the Apples. The only other band I've seen manage it are the B-52's.

I've already ordered some more of their CDs. :~)

Standing On the Shoulders Of Giants.......2001-09-25

This is a great album to have if you enjoy psychedelic pop bands of the sixties, especially bands like The Beatles (who doesn't?), The Beach Boys, and The Zombies. On FUN TRICK NOISEMAKER, The Apples mine the same sonic territory that the aforementioned trailblazers created more than three decades ago. Yet, with FTNM, they wisely avoid creating a hackneyed throwback to an abandoned era of pop music. Instead, they forge their own refreshing definition of psychedelic pop music that comes off relevant, exciting, and even unique.

One reviewer compared Apples In Stereo to Pavement, an observation that I fully agree with. They sound like Pavement creating music in the psychedelic sixties (only the Apples never get as experimental as Pavement.) Thus, although their sound is strongly influenced by The Beatles et al., they don't sound as if they've been living under a rock since the end of the British Invasion. They've obviously been paying attention to the indie pop movement of the 80's/90's.

It's kind of odd to me that this kind of music isn't more popular, that this band hasn't gained a stronger fanbase. I would honestly recommend (at least listening to) this band to almost anyone - my friends, my siblings, even my parents. I think there's a good chance that most people will find something to like about FTNM.

There aren't really any bad songs on FTNM. "Green Machine" is one of my favorites. It's a very nostalgic look at that golden period in your life when you're young, have tons of friends, and life is just simple and fun. "Saturdays and Superfriends / these are things I thought would last forever." If you had a Green Machine when you were little like I did, then you'll totally get this song. Nostalgia seems to pervade every song on this album. Other favorites include the first two songs (after the intro): "Tidal Wave" and "High Tide," two near-perfect pop tunes awash with marine imagery and catchy hooks. "Pine Away" is a great closer. Honestly, if I go on I'll name every song on the album so I'll just cool it.

OK, so not everybody gets into this album. Why? One reason that I can think of is that it is a bit lo-fi. However, I love that aspect - it lends the album charm and personality while reinforcing the link to an older era of pop music. Others may say that a lot of the songs sound identical. I will agree that if you listen to FTNM over and over without a break, the unique qualities of individual songs begin to disappear. But the same can be said of so many great albums and it's no reason to bypass this one. Probably the most legitimate complaint, in my estimation, concerns Rob Schneider's voice. Although I liked it immediately, it will probably be an acquired taste for most people, if they ever like it.