Army is just as hands-to-the-sky jubilant as its predecessors, though with a new note of urgency injected into the usual optimism.  Full text...

As it turns out, for better or for worse, The Fragile Army is at its best when you leave the lyrics behind and give in to the rapture of the music. DeLaughter’s taken a lot of flack for his supposed theft of ideas Wayne Coyne and his Flaming Lips came up with first, but while DeLaughter himself certainly sounds like a slightly less broken Wayne Coyne, it would seem that his musical vision may have shifted a bit.  Full text...

The Fragile Army is an all-out orchestral and choral assault for optimism in a turbulent era, but only infrequently are the Spree's songs as memorable as their numbers (and changing wardrobe).  Full text...

With The Fragile Army, though the songwriting is more polished, the band has infused what was supposed to be silly, good-vibe encouragement with the import of a "Message," subjecting DeLaughter's words to the harsher scrutiny that that implies.   Full text...

Polyphonic Spree albums are hard to digest even for the preternaturally smile-y. The Fragile Army’s levels are pumped to the sky, resulting in a chirpy maelstrom of voice and indiscriminate instrumentation that stretches end-to-end. “For an optimum listening experience,” the booklet advises me, “please load the album into your digital media player as one complete track.”   Full text...