The Apples in Stereo

He’s bald, he’s pudgy, but gosh darn it, people love him. Yep, Robert Schneider attracted both hipsters and hobbits (or at least his new label boss Elijah Wood) for an outdoor day party set of his band’s happy brand of Beatlesque power pop. In fact, new songs like "Energy” and "Can You Feel It?" might as well be children’s music (albeit for badass kids who like to "turn up the stereo-oh-oh”). Word was the Apples were rotten live, but the group seem to have pulled it together with soaring harmonies, buzzy guitars and sugary hooks cut with just the right amount of psychedelia. Also, the clouds parted midway through "Sun Is Out.” Honest to God.