In early 2005, Schneider performed "Skyway" during his Marbles tour. The Apples in Stereo also performed new songs such as "Open Eyes", "Play Tough", "Can You Feel It?" and "Energy" while on the New Magnetic Wonder 2006 pre-release tour.
Initially, the tour lineup featured lead singer and guitarist Robert Schneider, bassist Eric Allen, guitarist John Hill and drummer Hilarie Sidney as well as the addition of Elephant 6 co-founder Bill Doss on keyboards. On August 12, 2006, during Athens Popfest, it was announced that longtime drummer Hilarie Sidney was leaving the band. On October 30, 2006, John Dufilho was announced as the band's new drummer. John Ferguson also joined the tour lineup to perform additional keyboards and vocals.
It was announced on September 19, 2006 that The Apples in Stereo have been signed to Simian Records, a new record label formed by Elijah Wood. Wood, a dedicated Apples fan, met Robert Schneider at SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas during 2003. New Magnetic Wonder was the first release on the newly formed label, co-released, marketed and distributed through Yep Roc Records, Elephant 6 and Redeye Distribution, as well as the first album by The Apples in Stereo not released through spinART Records
New Magnetic Wonder has received positive reviews, and has been described in the press as a "masterpiece". On review aggregate site Metacritic, the album has a 78 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[1]
This album was #28 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.[8]
New Magnetic Wonder touts Schneider's invention of a new musical scale: the "Non-Pythagorean scale". The enhanced CD version of the album features descriptions of the scale as well as digital files for MIDI usage.
Two songs composed using this scale have been included on the album, with a third ("Non-Pythagorean Composition 2") as a bonus track on the enhanced CD.
Various descriptions and explanations of the Non-Pythagorean scale, including .wav files, a SoundFont file and instructions for tuning a keyboard to the Non-Pythagorean scale.
Robert Schneider – lead and backing vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, acoustic and electric piano, organ, synthesizer, Mellotron, vocoder, electronic effects, percussion, handclaps, bass guitar, non-Pythagorean music scale
Hilarie Sidney – lead and backing vocals, drums, percussion, handclaps, rhythm guitar
Eric Allen – bass guitar, backing vocals, echoplex, space guitar, handclaps
John Hill – rhythm guitar, phase shift, backing vocals, handclaps
Other performers
Anonymous studio musicians – Mellotron tape banks.
Per Ole Bratset – lead guitar, sound effects.
Bill Doss – backing vocals, vocal arrangement, Piano Fun, acoustic guitar, handclaps.
Otto Helmuth – mandolin, backing vocals, handclaps.
Jeff Holland – lap steel, echoplex.
London audience – anger due to Apples' overly-loud guitars.
Jeff Mangum – drums (on "Sunndal Song" and "Sunday Sounds"), cow object, backing vocals, handclaps.
Tony Miller – backing vocals.
Craig Morris – lead and backwards guitar, Mellotron, fuzz bass.
Adam Sachs – cowbell, tambourine.
Zack Shaw – alto sax, weird toys, echoplex.
Production
New Magnetic Wonder was produced by Robert Schneider. The album was co-produced and engineered by Bryce Goggin at Trout Recording, Brooklyn, New York. Schneider and Goggin also mixed the album. It was mastered by Fred Kevorkian (Kevorkian Mastering, New York, New York). Original recording, mixing and mastering was conducted September 2005 to September 2006 in multiple studios, utilizing analog tape machines and digital computers.
^ROBERT CHRISTGAU, DAVID FRICKE, CHRISTIAN HOARD, ROB SHEFFIELD (December 17, 2007). ""The Top 50 Albums of 2007"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-26. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-12-20
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