The Reindeer Section - Son of Evil Reindeer

YOURZ

Music is such a wonderful synchronistic art-form.  At the same time as this album was being made, The Polyphonic Spree were putting the final touches on their debut album (reviewed here)  There are a lot of similarities between the two; massive membership, uplifting music and hooks aplenty.

I actually prefer this over The 'Spree for a number of reasons - I believe the song writing is better and the personnel making up this band are, for the most part, stars in their own right.  Featuring members of bands such as Teenage Fanclub, Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian, Idlewild and Snow Patrol, this is a Scottish indie supergroup par excellence. The well-read members of our readership would remember my scathing review of Snow Patrol (see it here) but would also remember I said this is a very different listening experience.

Son Of Evil Reindeer is the second album by The Reindeer Section and is another particularly good very late night/early morning record.  If the first is anything like this, it could well find a home in our collection too. While Garry Lightbody of Snow Patrol is all over this (both as principal writer and vocalist) it's a pity his day band doesn't sound like this.  If they did, I'd be very happy.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

I want to thank The Reindeer Section - for making an extra-long drive home in crawl-and-stop traffic bearable.  And I'd forgotten just how relaxing and uplifting these songs are.  I'd defy anybody wearing their cranky pants to keep them on (oo-er!) while listening to Son Of Evil Reindeer.

Which, by the way, leads me into a rant about names.  Don't people think before naming their albums and bands?  And how about album artwork?  I would never have bought an album called Son Of Evil Reindeer without knowing something about it first, but I would have bought an album by the Reindeer Section, no problem.  There was a compilation album on the World Music label some several years ago that I picked up and put down about a dozen times before buying it - because it had a weird-looking skull on the cover.  Yet it contained some of the most beautiful music by artists I'd never heard of.

OK, it'd be kind of silly for people to get together and form a band called A Nice Guitar Based Pop Band and then put out an album called Some Uptempo Numbers and A Couple Of Ballads.  But really.  Sometimes people annoy me by being misleading with this stuff.  It's called marketing, guys, do a bit of research.

Anyway, I'm obviously not listening to this CD now, because the cranky pants are well and truly in place.  The only other thing I can say about it is - it's lovely hearing that Scottish accent come through (when it does).  All-around gorgeous and I have to label this a Forgotten Gem for me.

VERDICT:TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/thereindeersection

The Polyphonic Spree - The Beginning Stages Of...

YOURZ

I remember seeing The Polyphonic Spree at a Big Day Out some years ago.  Being in the audience felt a little like I was attending some huge revival meeting except everyone was cool and not even slightly religiously righteous.  That this huge band choose to wear robes probably didn't help with this feeling.

I also recall the smiling faces everywhere and just how joyous the whole occasion was. For anyone even slightly curmudgeonly, wandering into this uplifting experience would have felt like they were in the first ring of Dante's hell.

Listening back to The Beginning Stages Of... is not like seeing the band live.  How could it be?  As a result, this album comes off a bit bland.  Oh yeah, the ideas are nice and there are sunny shiny horn sections and uplifting choruses aplenty but if this was a normal-sized band instead of 23 musicians working together (how they squeeze that many egos into a room is a feat in itself) I think it would probably sound pretty ordinary.

VERDICT:TURN IT DOWN

MINE

I defy anyone to listen to the Spree and not get a great big grin on their face.  The mere concept of the group, with its multithat's nothing until you experience the songs, particularly It's The Sun with its sudden bursts of full-fledged vocal force.

We were lucky enough to see them in concert, and the whole festival audience that came to witness the event just beamed and clapped and called for more.  My one regret that day was I didn't get to the merchandise stand in time to buy one of their t-shirts, which the staff told us had sold out in record time.

I've previously spoken about songs to play at my funeral, and while there's nothing on this CD to actually make a point of playing, I think it'd be a great background album for when people were just gathering before the actual event.  God, I can be morbid.  (YourZ sez: are you keeping notes because I'm not gonna remember all this).  But this is one album I think would fit well in just about anybody's collection.  Have a listen - let us know what you think!

VERDICT:TURN IT UP and really listen

For more information: http://www.thepolyphonicspree.com/