The Polyphonic Spree

The band's second album has no right being this good. The Polyphonic Spree prove that they are more than a one-album band by releasing this brightly lit mix of reflection and euphoria. Tracks like "Hold Me Now" are explorations of a more personal side that explode into celebratory, life-affirming, grandiose pop songs.

Substance exceeds style on Together We're Heavy, as Spree ringleader Tim DeLaughter
unleashes a torrent of pet sounds by his twenty-five-member musical monster. To all but a
few remaining enthusiasts of Sixties sunshine pop, the robe-clad troupe's 2001 debut, The
Beginning Stages of . . . , was startling and alien, but ultimately it sounded like the demo it
was. Heavy is more fully realized, a song cycle that flashes Spree trademarks su... More >

Granted his major-label production budget in the sky, Tim DeLaughter hones his tunes and dispels woozy comparisons to the Flaming Lips. He's on record as wondering why his collective can't have hits like the Association and the 5th Dimension. And when history batters those dreams as it will so many, he'll still have the herewithal to mount a long-running local production of Hair. Even in Dallas, America always makes room for the culture of dissent. (Grade - B-)