The Polyphonic Spree is two-dozen strong, with each member attired in a flowing white robe. The ringleader is Tim DeLaughter (ex-Tripping Daisy), who formed this choral symphonic pop band three years ago. Though comparisons have been made to the Flaming Lips and the music of “Godspell,” there are actually rich veins of Pink Floyd and the Beatles running through most of these elaborate pieces. “Have a Day Celebratory” is a dreamy chant song, “It’s the Sun” is orchestral psychedelia with towering choral passages and a rippling synth and lead single “Soldier Girl” lives a couple of doors down from Sgt. Pepper. The only hitch is the ponderous closing track, “A Long Day”: 36-plus minutes of DeLaughter’s sampler-arranged vocals. This reissue of the group’s first album includes a bonus disc featuring a pair of live cuts and alternate versions of two other tracks. A strange, transfixing audio drug.—AZ
