APPLES IN STEREO Velocity of Sound (SpinArt)

The Apples in Stereo are tried-and-true throwbacks, the type you root for to win the championship in game seven. Because they eschew the hyperproduction that technological innovation always inspires, knowing that good-old muscle will get the work done. Keeping it short and sweet-- and loud -- throughout 2002's underrecognized Velocity of Sound, these Elephant Six architects have achieved that rarity, the classic punk pop album. It's stacked with hummers: "That's Something I Do' barrels forward like the Pixies' most addictive downstrummers, while Robert Schneider's desperate snarl dredges up a hard-earned sympathy in "Do You Understand?" The catchy "Please" sounds like a slice of Rubber Soul and "Mystery" has pieces of Superchunk stuck in its teeth -- and those are both very good things. Plus, the bonus track, "She's Telling Lies", raises the ghost of a sunnier Brian Wilson to supervise the proceedings, even though everyone still misses the comfort in being sad. Some might call the Apples potent ironists, but that would miss the point of their impressive craftmanship. In other words, Velocity of Sound may sound like an album too optimistic for life during wartime, but it should be listened to every day to remind you just what is worth fighting for. We're sorry it took so long to tell you this. It won't happen again.