You ever seen Elmo unhappy? I’m talking about Sesame Street’s resident furry red monster, of course. Granted, he’s anatomically incapable of anything but manic glee. For him, beating off the sads is simple. He cracks open his imagination, slips a crayon in each hand and puts The Polyphonic Spree on in the background. Mostly.
Dressed in flowing robes and led by frontman/”cult-leader” Tim DeLaughter, The 22-member Spree’s message is aimed at inner children, if not actual children. You Don’t Know Me opens with heads in the clouds, dancing on harmony. It’s brimming with junkie logic: “Keep yourself high, don’t keep yourself low,” DeLaughter intones. Rock’s biggest pep rally assembles on Popular by Design. Electro brass bands march and rosy-cheeked cheerleaders thrust glittery sceptres to and fro their chests. It feels as plastered on and non-negotiable as the real thing.
They must’ve hired Oingo Boingo’s repetitive drummer on the sly, each track pounded by an identical metronomic beat. Heart Talk scoops up the rest of those nutty new wavers as DeLaughter slips into a cracked-up Danny Elfman impression.
Flurries of pan flute wind up Let Them Be, a foot-dragging psychedelic jam. Anthem Raise Your Head blends baroque pop with a rousing hosanna-chanting choir, all concerned thrusting hands upward in praise of positivity. In both tracks however, it sounds like DeLaughter has benched most of his Spree.
Yes, it’s true: this cult’s cloyingly upbeat hooks will latch onto your brain stem and refuse to let go. Truer still: their indomitable levels of goody-goody gumdrops will clean rot your ears off.
BY TOM VALCANIS
Best Track: Raise Your Head
If you Like These, You’ll Like This: OINGO BOINGO, THE FLAMING LIPS, ELO when Jeff Lynne’s not brooding
In A Word: Overjoyed
