The Beginning Stages Of...

Disc 1
1	Have a Day/Celebratory 4:38
2	It's the Sun 5:33
3	Days Like This Keep Me Warm 4:06
4	La La 2:11
5	Middle of the Day 2:45
6	Hanging Around the Day, Pt. 1 2:38
7	Hanging Around the Day, Pt. 2 2:40
8	Soldier Girl 3:59
9	Light & Day/Reach for the Sun 3:24
10	A Long Day 36:32
Disc 2
1	Have a Day KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic Version 4:54
2	It's the Sun KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic Version 5:37
3	Soldier Girl UK Single Version 2:23
4	Light & Day Orchestral Version 2:47

Barnes & Noble

This unflaggingly sunny Texan aggregation -- which weighs in at upwards of two dozen members -- come across like some sort of bizarro-world hybrid of the Flaming Lips and Up with People, what with their sweetly sewn tapestries of choral vocals and breezy orchestrations. Leader Tim DeLaughter has come a long way since his days fronting Tripping Daisy, in both his writing -- which is buoyant enough to stir images of the Summer of Love -- and his sheer presence -- something of a cross between orchestra conductor and happy-face cult leader. This reissue of the Spree's rave-eliciting indie bow reprises all ten untitled "stages" of the single-minded, but not altogether similarly colored, piece that appeared on the original. It also appends four bonus tracks, including a pair of live radio session cuts ("Have a Day" and "It's the Sun") that prove the band can deliver the goods without hiding behind the studio walls. While none of the four added songs are actually new -- they're re-recorded and, thankfully, titled takes on existing "stages" -- each bears a personality that's subtly different than its fraternal twin. Crisp and clean, The Beginning Stages of the Polyphonic Spree signals that it's definitely gonna be a sunshine day. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Talk about your teenage symphonies to God. The Polyphonic Spree create the most euphoric, uplifting pop music imaginable. A self-described symphonic pop band crediting an astounding 29 members, their guilelessly spiritual lyrics and flowing white robes suggest they're a cult act in both the literal and figurative sense of the term, but the sheer joy of their music is undeniably persuasive, evoking the otherworldly brilliance of everything from Pet Sounds to The Soft Bulletin. Leader Tim DeLaughter, late of the oft-annoying Tripping Daisy, has harnessed something truly pure and enriching this time around -- imagine Up With People entering the studio with Dave Fridmann in the producer's chair, and you're getting close. This is life-affirming music of the highest caliber. Jason Ankeny

Rolling Stone

[An] expansively psychedelic debut. Christian Hoard

Billboard

A strange, transfixing audio drug. Adrian Zupp