octopus project good, live @ bottom of the hill
Back in July, I liked their subdued sounds and a few weeks ago I was obsessed about their royal stature, now it’s time to give you a more thought out introduction to Austin’s the Octopus Project (myspace).
I’ve been enjoying Hello, Avalanche since I got it a couple weeks ago. It’s a glitchy electronic pop album, but where some of those type of albums feel detached for me, this tends to bring you in. In some places, it’s the Album Leaf-like use of emotional electric pianos or marima, instruments that tend to have some emotional pull to them. The theremin is also prominently featured in some songs and then bendable, sweeping quality of that makes it feel like a voice, the most emotional of instruments.
“Queen”: It’s got this nice bleepy keyboard part that is out of time with the dominant rhythm of the track. Then it has vocals, quite an oddity for the Octopus Project. Bonus: they’re really nice, and if you take them out of context could be one of those Sufjan syncopated vocal lines.
the Octopus Project – Queen (mp3)
“Bees Bein’ Strugglin’”: sort of the big anthem of the album, with the a big beat, a mid-80s Edge-like off-time guitar big and a catchy keyboard melody. It’s also got the breakdown with ringing guitar and counter-point bass line.
the Octopus Project – Bees Bein’ Strugglin (mp3)
“I saw the Bright Shinies”: glitchy midtempo, but the centerpiece is the theremin which adds much needed sway and emotion to the potentially cold electronics.
the Octopus Project – I Saw the Bright Shinies (mp3)
You can check out more MP3s at their site. You can buy Hello, Avalanche from insound.
They’re playing at the Bottom of the Hill on Thursday.
11/8 Octopus Project @ Bottom of the Hill, 9pm, $10, a/a
The rest of their tour dates after the jump.
tour dates:
11/05 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
11/06 Vancouver, BC Media Club
11/07 Portland, OR Holocene %
11/08 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill
11/08 Visalia, CA Howie’s
11/10 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy
11/11 San Diego, CA Casbah %
11/12 Tucson, AZ Plush
11/13 Phoenix, AZ Modified
11/14 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
11/15 Lubbock, TX Jake’s
11/17 Austin, TX Emo’s
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