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The Polyphonic Spree
The Fragile Army
(TVT)
First Appeared in The Music Box, June 2007, Volume 14, #6
Written by John Metzger
In an age where divisive polarization has become commonplace, the unifying
aura of The Polyphonic Spree’s work is refreshing and pure, or, at least, it
would be if only it wasn’t so tainted by the unsettling qualities of the group’s
quasi-spiritual, cult-like appearance. Although the ensemble has shed the long,
flowing robes that it wore for its first two endeavors The Beginning Stages
of... and Together We’re Heavy, it now comes adorned in a set of
nondescript, black, military uniforms. Whether traipsing across a field — as it
is on the cover of its latest outing The Fragile Army — or placed before
a red-, white-, and blue-striped backdrop — as it is on the album’s insert — The
Polyphonic Spree’s zombie-like appearance is as terrifying as it is intriguing.
Much like The Polyphonic Spree’s previous efforts, the heart of The
Fragile Army is forged from a dense blend of Pink Floyd’s The Wall,
Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust
and the Spiders from Mars, and Brian Wilson’s Smile. To this heady
concoction, it adds a healthy dusting of The Beatles, The Who, and The Moody
Blues. No one, in fact, has been able to milk the essence from these outings and
these groups as well as — or for as long as — The Polyphonic Spree, though there
are hints that the collective understands that with each passing album, its
leash has grown increasingly short. Throughout The Fragile Army, the
guitars rage a little louder than they had before, and although the songs retain
a certain epic, prog-rock ambience, they also are tilted in a more pop-oriented
direction. Combined with the electronic beats and crystalline piano that creep
through Light to Follow — which, incidentally, were plucked from
contemporary acts, such as Air and Zero 7 — it’s clear that The Polyphonic Spree
is looking for a way to broaden its palette and advance its cause, while still
leaving room for its 20-odd members to paint the sort of kaleidoscopically
inclined ear candy for which they have become known. Just what point the
ensemble is trying to make, however, is anyone’s guess.
Even more than it did on its prior endeavors, The Polyphonic Spree uses The Fragile Army to pit the darkness of the world against the glowing light
of its idealistic outlook. After reiterating the closing moments of its
preceding effort Together We’re Heavy, the band begins Running Away
by singing, "I’m projecting and reflecting desire for you to come into my life"
while the concluding track (The Championship) speaks of crosses that are
turning into guns. Whether the group is singing praises to some higher power or
simply referring to the earthly interactions among humans, the heavier injection
of global politics into its work is meant to add weight and relevance to the
peace and love vibrations of its musings. The end result, though, is still a
muddled and confused mess of fractured relationships and inspirational
platitudes that oftentimes feel trite.
Initially it appeared as if The Polyphonic Spree, under the guidance of Tim
DeLaughter and Julie Doyle, was hatching a gargantuan scheme, the secret of
which resided within some hidden playbook of its own devising. Everything from
the absurd size of the band to the successional sequencing of its albums seemed
to indicate that a greater plan was in motion, one which would be revealed in
its own good time. Just as serialized television programs notoriously and
routinely have stretched their storylines — sometimes beyond comprehension — for
season after season, The Polyphonic Spree has pushed its cryptogrammatic
mythology nearly to its breaking point. Although its ambitions undeniably are
grand, its output has amounted to what currently stands as a 32-segment suite of
seemingly interconnected songs that now are in desperate need of a payoff.
Deliriously delightful as its efforts have been — and The Fragile Army
contains more than its share of immediately ingratiating melodies, all of which
are bedecked in three-dimensional, Technicolor arrangements — The Polyphonic
Spree’s penchant for dispensing its material with an air of over-the-top
theatricality is beginning to look, at least to those who haven’t sipped the
Kool-Aid, like a marketing gimmick rather than a cleverly devised concept. While
this approach certainly will hook a small segment of its audience for the
duration of its journey, The Polyphonic Spree very well might find that it has
lost many more prospective fans in the process. 
The Fragile Army is available from
Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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