The Polyphonic Spree began in 2000. Since then they have traversed the globe several times over (including appearances at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, Oscar de la Renta Fashion Week Runway Show, MTV Video Music Awards, Glastonbury, Summersonic, and various late night TV shows) while receiving accolades, adoration, and even a few imitators. What many outside of Dallas are unaware of is the band’s annual Holiday Extravaganza, now in it’s tenth year. To celebrate the band will finally release their first volume of holiday songs, titled Holidaydream, the group’s first full-length release since 2007’s The Fragile Army.
Holidaydream: Sounds of the Holidays Volume One is not your typical, by-the-numbers holiday collection. The music within is magical, otherworldly, and at times somber. The songs captivate as they float by. A few of the songs have alternate melodies and truncated lyrics but maintain the timelessness and sentimentality of the song. With Holidaydream, Polyphonic Spree sought to channel the holiday season’s full range of moods, from joyous to melancholy. Arrangements are twisted, like on the spacey, shape-shifting “Do You Hear What I Hear” and “Silver Bells” (featuring School of Seven Bells), and melodies are morphed, as on an ethereal “Winter Wonderland,” but the spirit of the holidays remains firmly intact.
