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June 14, 2007

Music Review

Polyphonic Spew

The noise this album produces may cause a sharp rise in aspirin stock

Story by: Ray Edward Buffington IV

The Shorthorn staff

--Courtesy art

Watch an episode of Sesame Street, dress up like an ’80s rock star and take a hit of acid, and you will end up in the mind state you need to be in to enjoy The Polyphonic Spree’s new album, The Fragile Army.

This group has failed to achieve the talent needed to produce entertaining music in the past, even when they combine the talents of all 20 of their members, and has lived up to their less-than-lyrical reputation in their latest release.

There are 12 “sections” — I guess they are too good to use the word “track” — on the new album, each with its own recipe of bad lyrics, confusing rhythms and lukewarm-quality music. The majority of the tunes sound identical, a problem you run into when you try to use a typewriter as an instrument in just about every song. Yes, a typewriter.

Worse than just having the “sections” sound identical, the group stole some riffs from Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and even some of Ozzy Osbourne’s music makes involuntary cameos. With a name like Polyphonic Spree, one would think these guys could be a little more original.

The vocal stylings of the group sounds like they were recorded off an episode of “Barney and Friends” or some other toddler-oriented show that invariably has a chorus of kids doing a sing-a-long. All the listener gets is a steady stream of notes and wannabe chords, almost as bad as fingernails on a chalkboard and sure to give you a headache.

The best thing I can say about this album is that with the CD comes a fold-out paper poster inside the case, which you can use to slit your wrists once you have waded through this agonizing album.

That is, unless you enjoyed the CD, which would instantly qualify you as a cult member.