CD Review: The Polyphonic Spree

The day finally came two weeks ago, and The Polyphonic Spree's new album, The Fragile Army, was finally released. I have been greatly anticipating the album's release since last Fall when the Spree released their Wait EP with new songs "Mental Cabaret" and "I'm Calling", and a cover of Nirvana's "Lithium". The CD comes with very flashy artwork and a making-of DVD. Tim Delaughter of The Polyphonic Spree intended The Fragile Army to be a very political album. He said in an interview with Paste Magazine, "For me, after being so barraged by the current political climate, it became undeniable; this had to be the subject matter for these new songs." The political messages in the album become prevalent when their new, darker side begins to show.

The Fragile Army is very simply a rock and roll album with a great Polyphonic Spree spin put on it. The songs are shorter, and they are structured more like...well...rock songs. Quite a big difference from their previous albums with songs that lasted 8 minutes or so and had separate movements. Is this change of direction a good thing or bad thing? I've got news; it's a good thing! The Spree seems to really pull it together with their new rock style without tarnishing what makes them unique. All of the songs are still greatly layered with a multitude of instruments and choirs, and it still has that feel-good tone to it. Some of the songs do get dark and gloomy because of their political topics, but they always seem to glisten some beam of hope.

On the surface of the album, songs like "Running Away", "Get Up and Go", and "Mental Cabaret" are immediately catchy. These are the big pop-rock songs of the album. "Running Away" is full of energy with choruses of bliss and hope: "I'm projecting and reflecting desire / for you to come into my life." It's a great opener for the album. "Get Up and Go" follows immediately after with a great ELO feel to it. There's a lot of emphasis on stringed instruments, and the result is a very infectious rock tune. The interludes of the song are very gloomy, but still maintain the attraction and beauty from the rest of the track. "Mental Cabaret" appears later in the album with a great disco-rock sound to it with a tapping dance beat, rhythmically squealing guitars, and bawling piano. There have been some production improvements made on the song since the Wait EP.

Here's the music video for "Running Away":

The song "We Crawl" discusses the hardships of living in a corrupted world, but at the same time, looking towards hope for a brighter future: "I know that we're broken / It's been unspoken for such a long time / It's scarier weather when we're both together / I know we'll be just fine." The Fragile Army definitely covers a wider scale of emotions than previous emotions, and it really shows how much the band has matured. I'm glad to say that musically and lyrically, the band has improved a lot.

I've found that I really, really like most of the songs on this album. The songs that have really grown on me are "The Fragile Army", "Younger Yesterday", and "Light to Follow". The lyrics of "The Fragile Army" were written right after frontman Tim Delaughter watched the 2004 State of the Union. The album's anthem has a lot of great progressions in the song, and it might even remind you of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". The song starts out mellow and melancholic, then it slowly gets angrier and more rebellious. By the time the chorus is screaming "Hey, it's time for you to lose your excitement," you can just imagine the band hurling themselves around with great emotional energy.

"Light to Follow" is one of the more experimental songs of the album, and by my measure, it has become a great success. The beginning to the song uses an electrobeat with Tim Delaughter soloing on vocals, and then it kicks into the full band with the chorus. There's a sweeping, operatic voice that appears in the song, and the voice adds this great surreal feeling to it. The voice is also very prominent on "Guaranteed Nightlite" from The Fragile Army and "Suitcase Calling" from Together, We're Heavy.

My favorite song from the album has to be "Younger Yesterday". The song contains a mix of gloomy and optimistic lyrics with a great allusion to The Beatles' "Hey Jude". The song features some beautiful work done by the string section, and there's a nice piano solo on the song as well. I find myself singing the chorus a lot during the day "and now you know / you're beautiful / you've always wondered." While the verses may be a little sad, the chorus brings a reassuring voice full of optimism.

By far, this is The Polyphonic Spree's best album. All of the songs are a lot tighter, musically and lyrically. You can definitely sense the new level of maturity the band has reached. I've seen some bad to mediocre reviews for this album, but I can't honestly tell you what those critics are talking about. This is a great album, and I highly recommend it to everyone. If you want one band that represents the high energy of today's music, this is the band for you. I give this album 5 Toms out of 5.