The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army

The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army

So how come The Polyphonic Spree are so happy? And so big- this is a band with 25 members and 10 vocalists, after all. Maybe this band is living proof that misery does love company- this is a band that certainly does have nothing of the depressed about it, with assorted keyboardists, percussionists, drummers, bassists, guitarists, flautists, trumpeters, trombonists, violinists, violists, harpists, French horn players, pedal steel players, theremineers and "electronic effects people" doing their bit to add their part to the veritable party that is their sound. The result isn't half as unstructured as you could imagine a band with this much sound to give could be, and remains surprisingly restrained.

The Polyphonic Spree- a name, given the size of the band, which couldn't be more apt- is not a band which are afraid to not take themselves too seriously, and as a result you can really tell that the band truly have fun making their albums. The undescribably large sound and drama of the band are all tinged with a strong sense of excitement and excess, like the world's biggest party put to music. This isn't just a jaded collection of black suits, or even a gang of passionate revolutionaries: this is a group of friends who want to play the loudest song they can on every one of their instruments. This is the stylisms of their seeming inspiration and closest band, The Flaming Lips, raised by 5 times the amount of members.

With the exaggerated sound of 10 singers, the inspiration for this album sounds like it was taken straight from broadway before any rock band that's ever been around. Indeed, listening to the album is the equivalent of an indie-rock musical, with extravangant, over-the-top embellished versions of songs. But the complexity within it reminds you that this is more than anything a rock album, even stripping down the exuberance.

An avant-garde, facicious, post-ironic orchestra, and a Flaming Lips in a world where there are 10 Wayne Coynes, Polyphonic Spree are one of those bands that will always hold a place in anyone's library. Condensed, distilled and concentrated optimism and happiness and bliss jammed into every song, they seem to be the biggest cure to any kind of negativity, ever. And for giving even Wayne- the single happiest man alive- a run for his money, you get an idea of just how much this band can put into under an hour.

Preview - Running Away
Preview - The Fragile Army

The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army (zShare)

-Mike (=