What a week! First Crowded House, then the Polyphonic Spree. I had only glimpsed this 20+ piece rock orchestra once before, at Coachella years ago, when they were still wearing their Godspell-style white robes and mostly singing songs about the sun and how reaching for it made them smile. I caught maybe the last five minutes of that show and was like, "What the hell?" I got their first album, loved it, then heard their second album and totally lost interest. The gimmick was played out, as far as I was concerned.So imagine my surprise when the Spree's third album found its way into my hands. For the first time, they had produced a fully realized, three-dimensional *album*, with well-crafted songs and emotional nuance and lots of actual substance to back up all that crazy, over-the-top orchestration. I was hooked all over again.As expected, their live show did not disappoint. The moodier third album now serves as a sort of table-setter for the more euphoric material; the band comes out in black jumpsuits and plays it all intense and earnest for the first half of the show, then does a costume change and comes out triumphantly in their white robes, paeans to the sun at full blast. As rock concerts go, it's a pretty giddy experience.As good as the new Spree songs are, the show's highlight by far is a stampeding cover of Nirvana's "Lithium." There's something about hearing that "Yeee-eeeaaa-AH-yeeeeahh!!!" chorus played by a 22-piece band that makes you think Kurt himself must be hearing it up in rock 'n' roll heaven and going, "What the fuck are those crazy hippies doing NOW?"
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