Album Review: The History Of Apple Pie - Out Of View

The History of Apple Pie
Out of View
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

With the first release from shoegaze titans My Bloody Valentine in over 22 years out in the world, new focus is laid at the feet of a bunch of upstarts to see if they can equal or better them in the sonic maelstrom department. While MBV still shows that they are the undisputed masters of the genre, there is still life to be kicked around from the young whippersnappers. British five piece The History of Apple Pie (one of the worst band names ever) show they have a big collection of shoegaze/dream pop/and alt-rock albums at their disposal and wear their influences well, but also have their own way to sneak their personality into the mix. Like peers Yuck, The History of Apple Pie are not afraid to drone out like Dinosaur Jr., create dense sonic soundscapes a la MBV, or pretty things up like Lush. Their debut album, Out of View is a nice mix of different styles and while it is a little too heavy on their influences, there are still moments where their own voice makes it into the wall of noise.

The History of Apple Pie are best when they hit shoegazing straight on and turn up the dense swells of guitars. Tracks like the buzzing "I Want More," which gets more and more complex as added layers of guitars take over,



hard-edged "Mallory" which grimes things up with hefty Dinosaur Jr.-esque guitar riffs,



subtle electronics buried underneath squalling guitars enlivens the Lush leanings of "The Warrior,"



and closing track "Before You Reach The End" never forsakes melody even while the guitars take off into Kevin Shields' flights of fancy.



It is not to say that quieter moments are less interesting than the more overtly guitar-centric tracks, it is just under a more razor honed microscope the leaning on their influences becomes more pronounced and you never get a sense that the band is owning the tracks. "See You" becomes a little too twee, with cooed harmonies and chiming guitars which echo bands like The Primitives and Catatonia,



"Glitch" tries to marry Lush-like drifting guitars with squalling blasts of feedback and ends up more muddled than interesting,



while "You're So Cool" merely becomes bland power pop, its sweet vocals laid upon a bed of choppy keyboards and droning guitars.



But these missteps are more signs of youthful idolization than a serious defect in band trajectory. Once they shed their reliance on these crutches they will be able to make their sound grow further. The foundation is already there for something special, and if they push themselves a little harder they will achieve great things.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.