The Polyphonic Spree: The Fragile Army
Some of you may have seen/heard the new album from The Polyphonic Spree, The Fragile Army. Ah, what can I say about this one? It’s a beautiful piece of art. So rarely today can music express what people want to say, and this group does it so well.
The first visual thing you may notice is that they’ve ditched the robes and gone with black military uniforms; perhaps to show their fans that they have changed in terms of music? I can certainly hear the differences between their previous and current one; new listeners might be caught in with their new sounds, but older fans might be discouraged. I can hear influences of David Bowie, Genesis with a healthy doses of The Moody Blues, The Who and The Beatles. Fans might hear a slight change music-wise, with their previous albums containing a prog-rock feel, and this time, holding the baby of a pop-rock feel. I can say that this doesn’t change the band at all; with this new change in direction, the 20-something members make me feel like I’m listening to the music through a kaleidoscope.
One thing that really spoke out to me was the theme of the album. The album pits its idealistic and bright views against the dark world today. A good example would be Section 24 (the band name their songs like that; the song’s alternative title is The Fragile Army in brackets). At the beginning, it sounds like something of a elegy, but the brass come in, and then follows with a kicking beat. The brass then contrast the beginning quite nicely with their fat horns and choirs that come in at the right time, making it something like a call-and-response found in jazz tunes. From a slow ballad to something that could be compared to glam-rock just with the ears, the piano makes a listenable pop melody, but it’s only to broaden the melody for the other instruments to jump in and make for a more powerful melody. In conjunction with the lyrics, “And now you know you’re beautiful/You’ve always wondered/Now you know/Everything’s alright…Together We’re alright” it makes an excellent finish for such an interesting song from the beginning; because really, “we’re alright”. In world full of negativity, flaws and inadequecy, working together is the key, and that’s how it should work. It shows us that this kind of optimism is possible, even in a world like today.
This new direction in sound may turn away its hardcore fans, but I don’t mind. I don’t care if this gets popular to the point of mainstream music. I think it’s time that this band had projected themselves into such a audience. This album projects an album of hope and that when we find ourselves alone, and from that, we learn that coming together is the way to go. This album delivers that message quite clearly, through the arrangements in their music, and that’s what should be heard through music these days. 9 out of 10 blorts for me.
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