I skipped last week since it was a slow news week. Not actually slow since all the music blogs had tons of crap they were reporting. Just nothing new or interesting to me. (In a bad mood, sry)

Lots of stuff this week.  I'm using the "predict a coachella appearance" expression a bit too much for my taste.  There are just a lot of tour dates announced and they all put bands in Southern California in late April.  In any case, lots of good stuff this week, enjoy!

Tim Burton's cult stop-motion film turns 15 this year, and as previously reported a motley crew of indie and goth-pop acts have recorded covers for an updated soundtrack called Nightmare Revisited. It's fun to hear Polyphonic Spree and Album Leaf interpret Danny Elfman, even if you risk hearing Korn's contribution, too (always with the terrible covers, those guys). Check out our faves after the jump. - Source

The Polyphonic Spree, Ambulance Ltd and Universal Music Group all filed papers on Friday (June 6) objecting to TVT's attempts to sell its record contracts with bands that signed to the label before it went bankrupt. - Source

Tim DeLaughter's finally done it; his choral rock symphony officially has more Sections than it does members. And this here "Section 26 (We Crawl)" is the most personal yet, videographically anyway. By training home movie cameras on themselves in their individual, natural environs, the Polyphonic ones show themselves for maybe the first time as a multitude of monophonic folks, stripped of military fatigues and pastel robes, at their houses, with their puppies, hanging out on highway overpasses. It's heartwarming and totally humanizing, and probably less Brady Bunch than this screen cap suggests (well maybe except for the scenes from Juile and Tim's too-good-to-be-true homelife; that family's so adorable it's like we need to hit perezhilton just to regain our constant and treasured sense of cynicism). Last time Hal Samples meshed together the images, here the Spree men and women turned their footage in to filmmaker Dante Harper, who turned out a cute one. Watch it at jambase.  Source

I was flipping around the schedule for my MythTV machine and found out that FRANZ FERDINAND was playing on the PBS show, Austin City Limits. Looking at their upcoming schedule, they have a bunch of cool acts coming up like PIXIES, WILCO, POLYPHONIC SPREE, THE FLAMING LIPS and the SHINS. Check your local listings...

File this one under "Cutest Thing In the World EVER." An elementary school music teacher in Menlo Park, California has filmed his students performing THE POLYPHONIC SPREE track "Light and Day." The end result is something between The Langley Schools Music Project and Muppet Babies gone to hell. It'll make you smile.

"Light and Day"
Oak Knoll Elementary School

You know, when it comes to 15+ member pop bands, one name stands out from all the rest! Well, okay, so only one name exists. THE POLYPHONIC SPREE are set to return next month with their highly anticipated sophomore album, "Together We're Heavy." And, to kick things off, the band's website, thepolyphonicspree.com, is prepping a pretty cool offer. For only $60 through the online store at the band's site, you can now order what's being referred as the "Ensure Your Reservation" package. Shipped in order to arrive on the album's release date of 7/13, the package contains:

- a copy of the new CD autographed by EVERY member of the band
- a limited edition technicolor robe as featured in the album art
- an exclusive Polyphonic DVD entitled, "The Earth Giving Birth"
- an exclusive image of the band available nowhere else
- the ever-popular "other special surprises"

Kind of a cool idea, we think. Noodling around on the band's revamped site will also allow you to hear audio snippets from the new record. Very cool.

THE POLYPHONIC SPREE's new album, Together We're Heavy, is scheduled to be released on July 13, 2004 and will contain 10 new "sections". At the moment they're scheduled for an April 21 performance on Jay Leno while touring with DAVID BOWIE. No matter what you think of their first album, everyone needs to see the 'Spree live at least once. So if you're heading to the David Bowie show, make sure you get there on time to catch 'em. Click on 'read more' for the full tracklisting.

We're not exactly sure why but it appears that the POLYPHONIC SPREE shows scheduled from today until the 28th (Atlanta, Birmingham, Asheville & Philadelphia) have been cancelled due to a family emergency. According to the bands website, "Details on rescheduling and/or ticket refunds will be announced as soon as they become available." We'll also try to keep you updated.

In the meantime you can get a fix of PolySpree frontman Tim Delaughter on yesterday's Fresh Air on NPR.