Man, just as I was leaving for work I saw that Chris posted a new demo by Tim DeLaughter of the Polyphonic Spree. It’s about as sparse as you can get — one voice and an acoustic guitar — which is a pretty big swap from the orchestral wonder of the Polyphonic Spree. But the strangest part is that I’m really enthralled by this song.

MP3: Polyphonic Spree – Blurry (demo)
Ever listen to Charles Manson’s album? Maybe he has more, I’m not sure, but I have one of his where it’s pretty much just him and a guitar singing some lo-fi ’60s pop. It’s not too bad (the Beach Boys recorded a song he wrote), but after hearing “Blurry,” I really feel like Tim DeLaughter stumbled upon the heart of the mine that Manson and so many others have been digging at for decades.

Or, if you prefer to shy away from any connection between a crazy loon cult leader and the Polyphonic Spree — who are often (unfairly) derided as being cultish — then you could say this song is what it would likely sound like if Syd Barrett decided to cut back on the wackiness and write a more standardized pop song. Either way, it sounds fantastic and leads me to believe that the next Spree album is going to be every bit as great as the ones we’ve already got.