But then they had the damnfool sense to call it "Go," thereby forcing it to be the opening track on this album (it'd sound stupid anywhere else), and the record you're left with amounts to "Go" and Other Assorted Beatles-Influenced Songs.

That's their shtick, right? Whereas other, more self-conscious indie pop groups try to hide their Beatles Influence, the Apples openly flaunt theirs. They even have a song called "Submarine Dream" for chrissakes, which surprisingly isn't a knockoff of the Beatles tune of almost the same name (it's more derivative of "Sexy Sadie" and "Here, There, and Everywhere" combined in a 3 to 1 ratio, respectively).

They also have a song called "What Happens Then," which -- close your eyes and imagine, the resemblance is creepy -- sounds exactly like some lost Smashing Pumpkins song. And a song called "Allright/Not Quite," which has an almost grungy chord progression. And a song called "The Bird That You Can't See," in which the Apples midnight-vulture the rotting corpse of funk -- didn't see that one coming. And the song called "Stay Gold" ("I'll always be there for you/As constant as the sun") could be an outtake from Yo La Tengo's last album, their quiet one.

Good songs, one and all, but none as great as "Go." (None really come close.) Next time someone tries to tell you that sequence order doesn't matter, tell him to go listen to this good-coulda-been-great record.

Rating: 7

--Matt Ozga