Occasionally, the people who bring you your daily diet of indie rock find themselves in strange, unexpected company. Sometimes it goes no further than having someone really famous show up at one of your shows, like David Byrne playing with the Arcade Fire. But sometimes it’s a little more involved than having a celebrity just walk onto your stage; Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein once found herself doing commercial work for Priceline, backing up the one and only William Shatner on guitar. And just a couple of weeks ago, Apples in Stereo guitarist Robert Schneider found himself in front of possibly the band’s biggest audience yet, taking part in a Colbert Report four-guitar showdown with Chris Funk of the Decemberists and guitar heroes Peter Frampton and Rick Nielsen.

Aside from playing in the craziest Colbert Report outro ever, Schneider also got a couple of minutes alone in the spotlight to play a special Apples in Stereo ode to Stephen Colbert. Until recently it was a Zune marketplace exclusive (though at least it was free), but now you can grab a studio version of “Stephen, Stephen” on their Myspace page. But aside from just being a fun excursion into the bizarre world of fake punditry, “Stephen, Stephen” also serves as a good buzzmaker for the band’s imminent new album, New Magnetic Wonder. Lucky strike for the Apples or carefully orchestrated PR push? The press in their fancy dress have a couple of questions on that front.

Thankfully, if you’re already a fan of the Apples, New Magnetic Wonder looks like it may deliver the same sugary indie rock goodness you’ve come to expect with anyone loosely associated with Elephant Six. And if you’re one of those people wondering where you can get more of that balding guy with the beard, singing tuneful rock songs about the leader of the Colbert Nation? Welcome to the party. Might I also interest you in some Dressy Bessy and Essex Green, I wonder…