Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

The Polyphonic Spree

Soldier Girl

Label: Fierce Panda Release Date: 05/08/2002

6793
hotbutterytoast by Steph July 8th, 2002

‘De de de de-a lidle-ee!’ – from the moment the old fashioned sounding pipes (you can almost imagine the cast of Pride And Prejudice dancing to them) kick off this record, you’re in for a sublime, if slightly eccentric few minutes.

Polyphonic Spree, with all of their 25 members, have made a gloriously uplifting summery song, based around the cry of ‘I’ve found my soldier girl / she’s so far away / she makes my head spin round’. In fact, never mind based around, that’s pretty much the entire song – working out as roughly 0.6 words written per member, I think it’s likely they paid more attention to the tune then the lyrics. And frankly, that melody, if a little simple, can’t really be faulted, conjuring up images of lazy summer days by the singer’s apparent euphoric joy that he’s managed to find his ‘Soldier Girl’.

Could it be that they’ve written a summer anthem? Well, almost. Pleasant as the tune is, the song could do with more than the same few notes repeated over and over again. The song doesn’t really seem to go anywhere – after the pipe fuelled intro, it becomes simply chorus after chorus after chorus, giving the forewarning impression that listening to Polyphonic Spree rave about his soldier girl will soon wear thin and it won’t be a huge hit with radio listeners.

At the moment, however, having only heard it relatively few times, I personally will be very happy to turn up the radio very loudly and sing along with great enthusiasm when it comes on (all the while wondering what on earth a ‘Soldier girl’ actually is - anyone?).

  • 8
    Steph's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees



Left-arrow

(Untitled)

Mobback
2013

The Vines at Camden Electric Ballroom, Camden, Thu 19 Feb

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND