Returning after an extended break,
the Polyphonic Spree offer a more intimately rendered take on their symphonic pop style with 2023's
Salvage Enterprise. The first album of new material since 2014's
Psychphonic, the album also follows the group's 2020 covers project,
Afflatus. Once again at the helm of the
Spree is lead singer/songwriter
Tim DeLaughter, who favors a folky, '70s AM pop vibe on many of these songs. While there are certainly sunshiney moments here,
DeLaughter also underscores much of the album with a hard-won indie rock catharsis that feels like he's gone through some tough times and wants to impart a sense of hopeful optimism to his listeners. This is especially true on "Section 47 (Got Down to the Soul)," an emotive, piano-driven ballad in the classic
Brian Wilson and
the Beach Boys style. There's also the wistful, flute-accented "Section 49 (Hop Off the Fence)" whose lulling, summery harmonies nicely evoke the orchestral work of the
Carpenters. As with much of the
Spree's past work, there's a nice balance between lyric-driven pop and more sonically ambitious instrumental passages. Both the opening and ending tracks feature the group's trademark choral harmonies and culminate in crashing waves of strings, guitars, and percussion. All of this lends itself to a feeling of cinematic grandeur, as if the album were conceived to be played alongside a psychedelic, yet still emotionally resonant auteur film from the late '60s or early '70s. ~ Matt Collar
