You could say that Apollo Sunshine's name is rather redundant, but if you listen to their music, redundancy is the farthest thing from your mind. After the straightforward, live show-friendly approach to recording found on 2005's eponymous release, the band has returned-to-form with the dense, postmodern arrangements that they cut their teeth with on 2003's Katonah. With the help of a plethora of musical cohorts (Quentin Stoltzfus, Drug Rug, White Flight, Viva Viva, etc.), Apollo have just plunged a lavish, articulate, symphonic B-12 injection into the arm of the indie-rock world. On its third release, Shall Noise Upon, the Boston-based trio slides effortlessly from polished indie-pop to psychobilly, folk ditties to head bobbing funk, samba to country waltz.
Shall Noise Upon was recorded during the summer of 2007 in a "house inhabited by spirits," which, incidentally, was located next door to the home of the original Uncle Sam. Its 16 tracks clock in at just under 40 minutes, intertwining tight, well-executed compositions with noisy, loose instrumental interludes. The shimmery sounds of "Breeze" entice the listener like a flower destined to be pollinated, combining Apollo's trademark Utopian lyrics with waves of layered backing tracks. Then we have "Singing to the Earth," a pretty pop tune that showcases their ability to simplify arrangements while still pushing the musical envelope. From here on out, the album takes a turn for the schizophrenic, hopping all over the musical map. Tracks like the rousing apalogue "Brotherhood of Death" mingle with the scarcely accompanied, atmospheric lullaby "We Are Born When We Die" and the idealistic acoustic observations of "Money".
To help create the backdrop for their new crop of songs, Apollo Sunshine enlisted veteran noise-rock prescriptivist Quentin Stoltzfus (Mazarin, Black Stoltzfus) into their corps. You can hear his presence on the five "songs" that seem to be merely snippets of studio jams and tweak-outs. However, the classic ’70s-tinged Apollo brand of rock ‘n’ roll can still be found in tunes like "666: Coming of the New World Government" (which could pass as an Electric Ladyland B-side) and Irish-like stomper "The Mermaid Angeline."
Although I applaud Apollo for bringing a diverse group of ideas into the studio, the album seems more like a scatterbrained collection of new material than a cohesive offering. Shall Noise Upon succeeds in fits and spurts, but as a whole, it lacks the continuity that is an essential ingredient for a career-defining record. Apollo Sunshine possess an innate ability to play any genre while still sounding like themselves, a formula only a few bands have ridden to success. Will they separate themselves from the masses (as chameleon-esque bands like Ween or Phish have) or will they tread water until they're sick of spending half the year grinding it out on the road? I guess we'll have to wait and see.