It's been three years since the release of The Polyphonic Spree's last album. Since then, the Dallas-based symphonic pop/rock troupe has changed significantly.
And it only takes one look at the band to immediately recognize that change. Their signature white robes -- which led some to unfairly liken the band to a cult – are now gone, replaced by austere black, military-style clothes.
The 24-member band has adopted a new look to compliment its new sound. The Spree's third studio album -- "The Fragile Army" -- was just released in stores on June 19 and the band is in the midst of a cross-country tour that brings them to The Rave/Eagles Ballroom on Monday, and will later take them as far as Tokyo in August.
OnMilwaukee.com caught up with the band's co-leader and vocalist, Julie Doyle, to talk about the current state of the band. While running late en route to Boston, Doyle talked about the striking new direction the band for the latest record and tour.
OMC: The Polyphonic Spree have changed significantly from this record to last. The white robes are gone. The music is different. The lyrics are more focused. What sparked the change in the band?
JD: Oh my gosh, I think it's just human nature. You don't want to repeat yourself. You go away and are affected by things, come back and hopefully don't say the exact same thing as you did before. The biggest difference I think this time around is we decided to quit touring and live a little and then bring everyone back together to write the record. We've been a band that's been going and going. We had to step back and take a break, regroup. We did the things we needed to do for all of us involved to be hungry to come back. Because unless it feels super mind-blowing and interesting, we're not interesting it doing it. That goes for this last recording or any of our live performances.
OMC: Any significance to the album title, "The Fragile Army?"
JD: Mike Mills (who worked with the band on the soundtrack to the movie "Thumbsucker") came up with it. "The Fragile Army" was Mike's take on what the band meant to him and it seemed really appropriate to us. It was such a great thing to think about, far beyond our own group. "The Fragile Army," for us, is more about the human race, not just one specific army.
OMC: How has the album been received so far by the fans?
JD: I've found most fans that we had seem to be enjoying it. A lot of them are saying it's their favorite. The real thing that's different is that we've gained a lot of fans on this album, that we didn't have before.
OMC: All of the band's songs are written by Tim DeLaughter and yourself. How was the songwriting process for this album? What did you want to say?
JD: You know, I don't think we really sat down and decided what we were going to say. We usually come up with the music and melody and feeling of the song first and then the actual lyrics sort of develop over time. But in that time, it felt there were more and more political innuendos creeping in. And I think the other stuff (we wrote about) is just life -- something that everybody can relate to.
OMC: The black military-style uniforms are encrusted with hearts, red crosses and a new logo. What's the significance behind them?
JD: It was time to do something else and it kind of made sense. It's not like we're wearing army uniforms. The black style militant uniform was just something that works for everyone, it's more about being clean, simple and nondescript while still placing our universal symbols of peace on them. The black felt right and unifies the group. We will always be unified in our presentation. We never want to limit ourselves to one style of garment ever. The band evolves, the sound evolves and so should the presentation. But I have no idea how long we'll do this or what'll happen next.
OMC: The latest video, "Running Away," features still photographs melted together to represent motion. Where did that idea come from?
JD: We were over at a photographer named Hal Samples' house and he was just showing us the idea of putting stills together and how they can almost look like video. We got to thinking about it and said, let's do this for our band, let's do this for our video. He came out on the road with us for 10 days and shot some 70,000 stills and put it together. He did an amazing job capturing all of those images and putting it together.
OMC: The Spree has particularly benefited from having its music feature in popular culture -- everything from Volkswagen commercials, an episode of "Scrubs," to feature films like "Thumbsucker" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." How important do you think that exposure is?
JD: Super important. With the state of radio, how else can people hear your music? Not only that, but I think our music is perfect for that kind of outlet. Of course, we were picky about what the things we were going to do, but I don't know how picky you can be in this climate to survive. There are certain things we would never do, but for us anymore, it's just airwaves.
OMC: Who are some of the band's influences?
JD: Oh my gosh, it's all over the map. We have such a variety of types of people in the group -- all different ages, all different walks of life. What we all share in common is everyone's pretty passionate about music, whatever the type. There's not a prerequisite for that. There was one time everyone in the band picked a song -- any song -- and we put together a compilation just between the group. When we sat down to listen, it was proof that we all of us were all over the map.
OMC: How would you describe the Polyphonic Spree's sound to someone who has never heard it?
JD: Well, you can't really describe it, you just have to listen. But I think our live shows are full of surprises and it definitely pushes the envelope. Musically, and especially in the live setting, I think there's something for everyone.
