The Polyphonic Spree
The Beginning Stages of … The Polyphonic Spree (Good Records/Hollywood 62409)

The edgy canonical beauty of Godspeed You Black Emperor, the unashamed optimism of recent Flaming Lips, the religious zeal of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice … welcome to a day in the life of the Polyphonic Spree.

This massive robe-wearing ensemble blurs the lines between mid-70s Christian rock, outsider folk, and indie pop with their unabashedly gorgeous and frequently ass-kickin' paeans to whatever God they're tapped into. It's a wonderful sound, although I must say it sounds like an album full of outros with no real songs attached.

If "Carry That Weight" had been the biggest single of the 60s, or perhaps if "Hey Jude" had begun with the "Na na na" part, the Polyphonic Spree may have arrived a lot sooner. But it took the recent trend toward prettiness in indie pop to allow for this kind of thing to have an audience … so thank you, Dave Fridmann.

Judicious french horn lines, tasty strings, emotional piano melodies, and a huge vocal chorus that would have the New Seekers radioing Coca-Cola headquarters for reinforcements … this is ambitious, unafraid music, sumptuous and gratifying.

And yes, a little boring. I'd be surprised to see the group do anything more with their unique, private, and rather specialized approach … how many albums can it really sustain?

'Cause it doesn't really even sustain this one. The biggest misstep is a frustrating thirty-six minute drone track at the end that sounds like an irritable Windy & Carl trying to soundcheck despite malfunctioning oscillators. As a friend sneered: "Drones are like driving … everyone thinks they can do it."

Still, a brave and kind of brilliant release, one to be happy about, even if it's becoming more of a tool for selling cars than selling people on getting right with God.

The US version includes a bonus EP with two live takes from "Morning Becomes Eclectic" plus a single mix of "Soldier Girl" and an orchestral version of "Light & Day." Nothing especially revelatory, but in some ways, the shorter disc is a more appropriate dosage than the full album … absence of 36-minute drone track duly noted.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Esperanza Conklin