Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCXLII--The Polyphonic Spree: Hold Me Now

Getting a wee bit behind here again...

I discovered this week's tune as I have a few others here on Friday Night Jukebox as I flipped channels and came across an episode of Austin City Limits in which The Polyphonic Spree was the weekly featured artist.  While I haven't explored much of their catalog, I like to think that if I live to a hundred and win a million dollars I might find the time and cash to check them out further....

The Polyphonic Spree (gotta admit, it's a great name) were formed in Dallas, Texas, in 2000, though it's beginning is of a sad nature:  the catalysts behind The Polyphonic Spree were originally in a band called Tripping Daisy (they had a minor MTV hit with "I Got a Girl" which I vaguely remembered after a couple of listens) which disbanded and formed their new group in the wake of the death from a drug overdose of Tripping Daisy guitarist Wes Berggren.  Tim DeLaughter became the de facto leader of the band, and over the past nearly twenty years the Polyphonic Spree have released six studio albums, none of which have cracked the top 100 of the Billboard 200 (though two did chart, hitting #113 and #121), and three EPs.  The band is known for a) having numerous members--the current lineup features 23 band members, and past members would push the number close to a hundred, and b) for wearing colorful robes--a la a choir--in their live peformances.  While commercial success may have eluded them, the band has had a hand in a number of songs for soundtrack albums, continues to tour, and released their latest LP in 2014.  As I've noted numerous times before, beats the hell out of  slaving away in a grocery store....

"Hold Me Now" (not to be confused with the Thompson Twins single "Hold Me Now" which was a not particularly good single released in the 80's new wave frenzy) was released in 2004 on their album Together We're Heavy.  While "Hold Me Now" was not released as a single here in the States, it did reach #87 in Scotland, and #72 in the U.K.--there's just so many cool kids in the U.K., isn't there?

While I was lying in bed, unable to sleep, and trying desperately to think of who The Polyphonic Spree reminded me of--and, yes, I do need to get more of a life--I could have saved myself the trouble by doing my half-assed research a bit earlier.  It was the Electric Light Orchestra, with a little Queen, the Beatles, and the Beach Boys mixed in.  "Hold Me Now" features lush orchestration, with--surprise!--choir-like vocals, and a hell of a hook in the chorus.  There's definitely an anthemic vibe to the song--numerous instruments (my best guess is somewhere around fourteen different instruments) are featured as well as a theme of reminding us that no one is alone in this world (or that getting old isn't a death sentence...so to speak).  There's also a grandiose instrumental break which reminded me (blasphemy alert!) of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.  All in all, it's a song just a bit off the beaten path, and in a just world, would have been a top ten single that we all run around humming to ourselves every time we hear it on the radio...which pretty much describes my week after several listens....

Lyric Sheet:  "He's walking along with his soul in his lungs/Ya stare at him long you can find a new song/Everyone thinks they've got a new phrase/But you're still miles away..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. XC--Avett Brothers: Murder in the City

On January 21, 2010 (I looked it up--my memory isn't quite that precise anymore) I was channel surfing on a lazy Saturday night when I came across a band I'd never heard of before on Austin City Limits.  About halfway through the show the band played a little ditty called "Murder in the City"--and I became a fan of the Avett Brothers for life.  Seriously--there are exactly two performers whose new releases I'll buy without having heard a single tune:  Bruce Springsteen and the Avett Brothers.  And neither one of them has disappointed me these past few years.

Surprisingly enough, the Avett Brothers are led by the North Carolina bred brothers Scott and Seth Avett.  Though the brothers had played music together for much of their lives, it wasn't until the late nineties when Seth's high school band joined forces with Scott's college band and the siblings began performing publicly together.  Originally called Nemo, the band released three albums.  In 2000 the brothers began experimenting with acoustic music, changed their name to the Avett Brothers, released their eponymous debut. and the rest, as they say is history.  Over the last fifteen years the Avett Brothers have released nine studio LPs (the last three of which have reached the top five on The Billboard 200), four EPs, four live albums, developed a reputation for using a panoply of styles in their music, earned renown for their live shows, and been nominated for a Grammy Award.

Released on their The Second Gleam EP, "Murder in the City" may be the most poignant song ever written about what it means to be in a family.  The sheer humanity of the lyrics is stunning (and this is from one music fan who doesn't put a lot of stock in pop music lyrics, despite how much I may love them)--from the brother/son asking for restraint should he be murdered in the city, to the father expressing so perfectly what a parent's love is, to the brother/son reminding his family that his belongings don't mean much when compared to his love for his sister and mother.  Musically, the song is a pair of acoustic guitars and...that's it until a nice touch of piano at the song's close.  The two guitars are in perfect harmony with Scott Avett's vocals, as earnest and honest as is the song itself.  I'd really be hard pressed to name a song written this century that impresses me more than this one--and every time I hear it makes this old fart folkie smile in both joy and amazement.

Lyric sheet (truer than true words this week...):  "Always remember, there is nothing worth sharing/Like the love that let us share our name..."

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee