The Polyphonic Spree

The Polyphonic Spree is a group from Dallas, United States, active since 2000. It works across indie pop, indie rock, psychedelic pop, psychedelic rock and symphonic rock. The core of the band is Tim DeLaughter, Mark Pirro and Bryan Wakeland, who all previously played in Tripping Daisy. DeLaughter leads the group on vocals and guitar, Pirro plays bass and Wakeland drums. The lineup also includes a large rotating or expanded membership of singers and instrumentalists, with more than twenty performers appearing in the group at various times.

Formation and line-up

The band forms after Tripping Daisy ends in 1999 following the death of guitarist Wes Berggren. DeLaughter then gathers surviving members of Tripping Daisy and adds many more musicians to create The Polyphonic Spree. The group includes a choir, two keyboard players and players of percussion, bass, guitar, flute, trumpet, trombone, violin, French horn, theremin and electronic effects. Its members perform in robes or military-style uniforms, and the line-up remains generally stable after the early years.

Albums, EPs and soundtrack work

The Polyphonic Spree first distributes a demo called The Beginning Stages of...The Polyphonic Spree to audiences at shows, before it is later issued on Good Records and then picked up by 679 Recordings. Its first full album, Together We’re Heavy, appears on Good Records and Hollywood Records. The band also releases the Thumbsucker soundtrack in 2005, the Wait EP in 2006, and the studio albums The Fragile Army, Psychphonic Afflatus and Afflatus. Afflatus is a cover album that includes songs associated with INXS, The Bee Gees and Rush.

Key songs and performances

The single “Light and Day” appears in Volkswagen commercials, an episode of Scrubs and on the soundtrack to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The band’s live shows are presented on a large scale and include festival appearances such as Reading Festival in 2003.

Labels

The Polyphonic Spree releases music through Good Records, 679 Recordings, Hollywood Records, Blue Newton Echo Music and Cherry Red Records.