Polyphonic Spree

I stand by me 'Primal Scream for the Mike Curb Congregation set' assessment. More entertaining one-trick-pony than Godspeed, tho.

Not sure how their music would be a "one trick pony", Ned. The 25 members might seem like a gimmick. Are they a hippy commune or something?

This reminds me, Starlight Mints had 7 members on the last album?? The new one sounds so much more intricate with only 4.

We've never been able to agree on a single band! I think New Order came the closest.

I only just learned yesterday that it's the dude from Tripping Daisy!!! Eww.

The highlight of Glastonbury, no question.

Bogus shitty 36 minute outro piece, but the rest of the LP is pretty good. I saw them live earlier in the month and Tim is a lovely guy. Really nice.

NOW

they're so uplifting. i can't listen to them without throwing my hands in the air and singing along. it's such breezy music, makes me want to be a tree.

They're so fucking totalitarian about it too. It is like a cult. And the worst thing is people acting like this, this music which makes you happy lark, is some sort of novel concept, or at least one worthy of particular note.

This is just wrong, and proves my point that the Polyphonic Spree peddle "happiness" to miserable indie kids who wouldn't know, or have time for, real happiness if it bit them in the ass. I think they do genuinely believe that their making blissed-out-euphoric-unadulterated-happiness music is novel, but they're wrong. And I like my happiness to be real, thanks.

That's about as deep as the cult thing goes. Everything, so far as I know, is done with a wink and a nod.

Most music is about some sort of emotion, which is why people relate to it. A good proportion of music is about problems, yes, but you're overlooking the, ooh, gazillion songs written about positive emotions pre-Polyphonic Spree. I mean... most music makes people happy! That's, like, the point of most of it.

Speaking of problems, what's your problem, exactly? You act like they're singing about Jesus or something. Their lyrics are pretty damn vague, man, so for you to be making these blanket statements about the "indie kids" who listen to it and to also project feelings onto their enjoyment of it... well, you're just retarded.

I have no particular problem; I just think they're a shockingly bad band. As you said, vague lyrics: what's there to be happy about? They're not singing about anything meaningful, or anything full stop. The music's a mess. Where's the happiness?

And yeah, it all has that creepy and slightly uncomfortable feeling that music can tend towards when it *is* about Jesus.

Vague? Yes, vague, like topics you are familiar with but not senseless... Ok, first song is about sunshine. Next song I can remember is about "a love like this will keep us warm"... other songs are scenic like "Summertime Rolls" by Jane's Addiction.

Mess? No, the music's highly orchestrated.

You've never heard this album, have you? Yes, that's becoming apparant. My guess is a fraction of a song or two and a pic of them in robes was enough for you. Perhaps you were molested as a choirboy?

As I said before, I'm amazed that something which *is* so highly orchestrated is such a mess. There's no subtlety or complexity or anything... it's just a load of instruments bunged into the mix, tuned to a major key and left to fester.

I've listened to half the album, once, and endured a Polyphonic Spree gig, which is quite enough thanks. And I'm one of the very few people who had a Catholic upbringing without being molested, so while not ideal it was hardly traumatic.

I'm going to bed now.

Which would be part of the point, I suspect. I'm not the biggest fan of the album, and I haven't seen the band in ages (back when you could still join the choir around here), but the crazy-preacher-man-cult thing shouldn't be taken at face value.

Tim really believes in happiness and a joyful life as a concept.No peddling he really is happy and wants you to be also.

Maaaaan. We're not at Woodstock any more, and don't need to be either.

Sometimes shallow simplicity is just easier to go wheeeeee!!! to than a deeper message.Maybe you just need more wheeeeee! moments in your life.

This is perfectly true... it might come down to everyone getting their shallow simplicity kicks from different places, but I do believe that there are people out there who won't accept shallow simplicity kicks unless they have indie cred attached; personally, I prefer PROPER pop music, and dance music you can actually dance to. Like 'Sandstorm' by Darude.

Jazz singers sing about problems quite frequently; Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald.

Then, we have the whole genre of Blues. Country. Even Doo Wop and all that pre-Beatles "happy" music is about problems.

Classical music is mean and moody; there's plenty of happy classical, but plenty of chaos and anger, too.

Then, if we start talking pop music and rock music, which is really the category we should probably be talking about, since that's the category of music they play and this is why I said "...and perhaps they just noticed that most music isn't happy. It's mostly about struggles and love problems, unfulfilled desires, etc. " (Funny how we got so far off track, huh?) Well, then, shit, you're fucked if you try to claim most of that is not about "struggle, love problems, unfulfilled desires, etc."

I have a hand you can talk to when you wake up in the morning. G'night.

I'm sorry, I cannot talk to someone who says things like "classical music is mean and moody". Yeah, like Ode To Joy.

Sweet dreams.

How is that a criticism of the band? It's not that they don't do 'happy' well, it's that you don't like 'happy.'

Criticism based solely on what you hoped to hear (genre- or mood-wise) is self-defeating. Go put on something that's not happy, since that's your problem with the PS.

Yeah, I'm sorry, but I can not talk to someone who takes half of a sentence out of context to "win". Lamer than a one-legged man with osteoporosis, mah friend! Here's the rest of the sentence for you: "Classical music is mean and moody; there's plenty of happy classical, but plenty of chaos and anger, too. "

Yeah, I was wondering what bands he likes and if he puts them through the same analysis. "Ach! I hate all that heavy metal and punk shit! They try too hard to be angry. What are they so angry about?"

That wasn't a criticism of 'happy', that was a criticism of 'hippy'. The reason I dislike the PS is BECAUSE I like happy music, and thus object to a band who use it as a gimmicky selling point, as if the concept of happy music is vaguely radical or even semi-interesting, and who then turn out to be as shit as the PS are.

I didn't namecheck Darude as 'good dance music', I namechecked it as shallow simplistic fun. It has everything which PS worshippers claim the PS do, but doesn't pretend to be anything other than preset groovebox mindlessness and therefore doesn't get the ridiculous adulation which the PS do.

another point: just cause you don't like it doesn't mean it isn't good...

I think this might have serious ramifications for the whole business of music criticism... but that'd be another argument entirely.

I'm pretty sure there's an interview somewhere with Tim DeLaughter where he explains that they wear the robes because normally, when he goes to shows, he keeps getting distracted by things like the guitarist's really cool shoes and he wanted to minimise that as much as possible. Which is something I can get behind.

I think the PS are pretty fantastic, although more so live than on record - just little things, like the album mix of 'soldier girl' being too slow, but it means I don't get the same joy-on - and I like happy music in general, so it's not that they're the one shining ironic light in my bitter and twisted indie heart. (I also dislike hippy-type music, and the Southern Preacher schtick in Lift to Experience's stuff irritates me: so if that's all there is to PS, I've obviously been deluding myself all my life about my tastes.)

This sounds just as disingenuous as Sinead saying she shaved her head because she didn't like the way people focused on women's hairstyles.

just got sent the above link by my flatmate - lovely strange Save The Polyphonic Spree game with four new tracks ("Together We're Heavy", "Suitcase Calling", "Ensure Your REservation" and "Hold Me Now") accompanying each level. Business as usual, then, but still lush.