The Beginning Stages Of The Polyphonic Spree

The brainchild of the wonderfully named Tim DeLaughter, The Polyphonic Spree are a loose collective of 24 white-robed Texans who serve up a main course of supremely soulful sonic pyrotechnics, along with a side of slightly psychedelic sing-alongs.

There are times when you could be listening to a Flaming Lips record, such are the levels of sheer joyful exuberance on offer, as on the glorious, opening ‘Have A Day/Celebratory’. But where Wayne Coyne’s mob use all manner of studio trickery to achieve the soaring choral effect, The Polyphonic Spree need no such devices: the huge vocal on ‘It’s The Sun’ is down to simple weight of numbers.

The Beginning Stages… does dip a little in the mid-section, and the closing ‘A Long Day’ is 36 meandering minutes of droning nonsense that has the words ‘self’ and ‘indulgence’ writ large upon it in three-foot neon lettering. In fact, it sounds like two four-year-olds let loose on an old synth, and is the most pointless addition to any album that this listener has ever heard.

Compared to the riches on offer elsewhere, however, these are minor blips. ‘Hanging Around The Day Parts Two’ and ‘Days Like This Keep Me Warm’ are songs to be cherished by all who lay ears on them. Then there’s the raucously joyous ‘Light & Day/Reach For The Sun’, while recent single ‘Soldier Girl’ is nothing short of stunning: strings, wind instruments, guitars and voice mingling to mesmerising effect.

While not the all-conquering song and dance extravaganza we might have hoped for, The Beginning Stages… is a warm, uplifting record that is brimming over with real humanity, and even verges on gospel in parts. As the Spree themselves admit, this is just the beginning. I, for one, am already awaiting the next chapter with no little anticipation.