The History of Apple Pie

We often remember music from decades past in an idealized light. In rock circles, the '90s are reduced to an indie dreamscape of underground noise and Britpop swagger. But the History of Apple Pie remember the real '90s, a land of alt-rock pretenders copping edgier sounds and turning them into modern rock radio gold. This London, UK five-piece's excellent debut features shimmering alt-rock hooks, à la Letters to Cleo and Belly, latter day Heavenly and especially Lush. Produced by the band's guitarist, Jerome Watson, the guitars have enough noise and drone to appease the current fascination with shoegaze, but Watson never lets them overtake singer Steph Min's breathy, floating vocals. Joshua Third (from the Horrors) engineered the album, giving this relatively obscure band a nice mainstream boost (at least in the UK) and provides some extra guitar on final track "Before You Reach the End." But for all the '90s worship, the band thankfully avoid one overwhelmingly prevalent trend of that decade: burying one great song beneath a disc full of crap. While previous singles "Mallory" and "You're Too Cool" remain highlights, there isn't a dud in the bunch, with "Tug" and "Glitch" providing further proof that these guys are the real deal. Whether you came of age in the '90s or were just born then, the History of Apple Pie have what you need.