Like a more cheerful incarnation of Guided By Voices' Robert Pollard, The Apples in Stereo's Robert Schneider peppers his band's new album with a lot of sweet little asides and half-formed ideas — a chorus without a verse, a verse without a chorus, a handful of instrumental interludes. While the net result exudes good-natured joy, it's no surprise that some of his songs beg to be fleshed out and made whole.
Fortunately, though it runs only two and a half minutes, "Sun Is Out" functions as a charming, modestly shambling mini-epic, complete with discrete movements that culminate in a full-on power-pop blowout. It's not exactly intellectually taxing — "The sun is out / The sun is out / So c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon / Check it out!" — and it never entirely coheres: It's basically three likable interludes strung together. Nevertheless, the effect remains infectious and beguiling throughout. After all, "Sun Is Out" functions as the ideal soundtrack to an early spring, so what's not to love?
Listen to yesterday's 'Song of the Day.'
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