A. G. Cook has released his album Apple. The LP follows his large project 7G, which compiled covers and songs built around specific instruments like the Nord or guitar. Apple is designed to be a proper album that he describes as “threatening to be an instrumental producer album, then becoming a songwriter album.” However, with A. G. Cook, the head of PC Music, one of the most important driving forces in pop music over the past decade, things will always be a little different sonically from just big hooks and drawn out verses.
Apple is a bit of everything that he has been doing over the past decade, mashed together and given a bit of album polish. The album opener “Lifeline” sets the table for the record for the softer single “Oh Yeah” that shows that this will be more of a songwriter album, but it isn't always just that. There other moments of that more emotional songwriter feel in a very PC Music way like on “Beautiful Superstar” and “Jumper.”
Then there are harder and edgier tunes “Xxoplex” with its roots in hard dance. The heavy distortion on “Airhead” carries on with that edge before it mellows out. Some tracks are also rather strange, as one would expect from an A. G. Cook album with a mix of his own autotuned, hard and guitar on “Animal.” The LP ends with the airy and dreamy “Stargon.”
A. G. Cook doesn't push the envelope with this album as some projects in the past have, but fitting his music with in a songwriter context allowed him to explore more traditional pop music routes. It still has that PC Music edge with plenty of electronics, auto-tune and hard dance. After a decade of upending pop's traditional sound, Cook has put it all together for himself with the sort of flourish and gloss that only he could do.
Stream the full album below and get a copy here.
