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Editorial Reviews
Hello Avalanche, The Octopus Project's third proper full-length on Peek-A-Boo Records, is a bold step forward musically and artistically for the band, whose recent successes include playing the Coachella Festival and several sold-out nationwide tours, receiving a proclamation as one of Rolling Stone's five stand-out artists at SXSW by Senior Editor David Fricke, and sweeping the Austin Music Awards (Best Experimental Band, Best Indie Band, Best Instrumental Band, Best Miscellaneous Instrument - Yvonne Lambert on Theremin! - and top ten placement in eight other categories!).
With ragged, furious distorted guitars at one end of the spectrum and the pure, luminescent tones of the Theremin at the other, the members of The Octopus Project mine a staggering variety of sounds in between (via strings, synthesizers, drums, glockenspiel, trombones, etc.), filling their songs with brilliant contrasting colors and cascading waves of sonic bliss. Although Josh Lambert, Yvonne Lambert and Toto Miranda each have their instrumental specialties, they spread ideas out on as many instruments as possible, each writing for and performing on any sound-maker they can find. And if the instruments themselves weren't enough, many sounds on the record were manipulated by the band to push them even further - inhuman drum breaks three layers deep piled over the original live drum track, a heavenly four-Theremin choir from a Wizard of Oz soundtrack that never existed, guitar parts mulched into bits and reassembled into a tiny Prince army.
While the band's previous records were mainly self-produced, this time The Octopus Project wanted to achieve the perfect blend between high-end studio trickery and lo-fi home experimentation. Partially tracked to tape and partially to Pro Tools, "Hello Avalanche" was recorded and co-produced by Ryan Hadlock (Blonde Redhead, The Gossip) at rural Bear Creek Studio outside Seattle in February, 2007, and mixed in Austin by Erik Wofford (Voxtrot, Explosions In The Sky). Many sounds were taken from the band's original demos - sequenced beats, edited loops, practice space recordings etc. Parts of "Upmann" were recorded on a friend's front porch (listeners will note the sounds of passing cars). As Yvonne has continued to gain notoriety for her expert Theremin skills, the band has developed its multi-tracked Theremin concept to its fullest extent - something the group first tried on last year's collaborative album with Pittsburgh's Black Moth Super Rainbow, The House of Apples and Eyeballs. These experiments yielded amazing results that can be heard on the album track "I Saw The Bright Shinies."
In several years of nearly non-stop touring with an infectious live show that often incorporates lights, projections, balloons and band members that simply can't stay in one place, The Octopus Project has developed an immense and loyal grassroots following, as evidenced by the band's 30,000+ MySpace friends. Anyone wondering about the band's work ethic need only glance at The Octopus Project's Summer/Fall tour schedule. After headlining Brooklyn's McCarren Park Pool Party in July, the band will kick-off three solid months of touring in August - first supporting Stereo Total, then Aesop Rock, followed by six weeks on their own headlining tour after the album's official October 16th release. This round of touring also marks the inauguration of guitarist Ryan Figg - an addition certain to push the band's live sound to the proverbial Next Level.
With ragged, furious distorted guitars at one end of the spectrum and the pure, luminescent tones of the Theremin at the other, the members of The Octopus Project mine a staggering variety of sounds in between (via strings, synthesizers, drums, glockenspiel, trombones, etc.), filling their songs with brilliant contrasting colors and cascading waves of sonic bliss. Although Josh Lambert, Yvonne Lambert and Toto Miranda each have their instrumental specialties, they spread ideas out on as many instruments as possible, each writing for and performing on any sound-maker they can find. And if the instruments themselves weren't enough, many sounds on the record were manipulated by the band to push them even further - inhuman drum breaks three layers deep piled over the original live drum track, a heavenly four-Theremin choir from a Wizard of Oz soundtrack that never existed, guitar parts mulched into bits and reassembled into a tiny Prince army.
While the band's previous records were mainly self-produced, this time The Octopus Project wanted to achieve the perfect blend between high-end studio trickery and lo-fi home experimentation. Partially tracked to tape and partially to Pro Tools, "Hello Avalanche" was recorded and co-produced by Ryan Hadlock (Blonde Redhead, The Gossip) at rural Bear Creek Studio outside Seattle in February, 2007, and mixed in Austin by Erik Wofford (Voxtrot, Explosions In The Sky). Many sounds were taken from the band's original demos - sequenced beats, edited loops, practice space recordings etc. Parts of "Upmann" were recorded on a friend's front porch (listeners will note the sounds of passing cars). As Yvonne has continued to gain notoriety for her expert Theremin skills, the band has developed its multi-tracked Theremin concept to its fullest extent - something the group first tried on last year's collaborative album with Pittsburgh's Black Moth Super Rainbow, The House of Apples and Eyeballs. These experiments yielded amazing results that can be heard on the album track "I Saw The Bright Shinies."
In several years of nearly non-stop touring with an infectious live show that often incorporates lights, projections, balloons and band members that simply can't stay in one place, The Octopus Project has developed an immense and loyal grassroots following, as evidenced by the band's 30,000+ MySpace friends. Anyone wondering about the band's work ethic need only glance at The Octopus Project's Summer/Fall tour schedule. After headlining Brooklyn's McCarren Park Pool Party in July, the band will kick-off three solid months of touring in August - first supporting Stereo Total, then Aesop Rock, followed by six weeks on their own headlining tour after the album's official October 16th release. This round of touring also marks the inauguration of guitarist Ryan Figg - an addition certain to push the band's live sound to the proverbial Next Level.
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Everybody may not love this album. But if you have an open mind, enjoy creative and great musicianship, or love to listen to rocking experimental bands than buy this album!
There may be a few songs that aren't as good as the rest (so says others) but everyone I've had listen to this album agrees that this band and this album are worth looking into and buying.
My favorite thing is to play this while i'm driving and just let my mind float off.
P.S. You have to see this band live - I saw them at Warehouse Live and they were great. It was the most fun at a concert I've ever had.
There may be a few songs that aren't as good as the rest (so says others) but everyone I've had listen to this album agrees that this band and this album are worth looking into and buying.
My favorite thing is to play this while i'm driving and just let my mind float off.
P.S. You have to see this band live - I saw them at Warehouse Live and they were great. It was the most fun at a concert I've ever had.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By bowery boy
Format:Audio CD
Hello Avalanche immediately makes me think of a combination of mum's Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Is Ok and LaliPuna's Faking The Books with little bits of IDM knob twiddling thrown in for good measure. If you're familiar with those artists then you'll know what expect: lo-fi electronics that swirl, caress and sometimes gets lost in rocking guitar riffs and drums. It hard to explain but it has the same effect on me as mum and LaliPuna did first time I heard them. Good stuff. I can't wait to get my hands on more.
8 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By greenletter
Format:Audio CD
"Ochopus! Ochopus!" That's what we call them in my milagro town, the town where I was born and the town where I will die. And this disc will accompnay me in my pine box along with the fruit flies. Ochopus good! Fruit flies bad! In short, or in pant, this is THEIR BEST ALBUM YET!!!. I live a simple life, cleaning fish and riding unicycles, and this is the soundtrack that captures the inner whimsy borne from such a blessed existence. I saw da bright shinies! FIVE STARS!!!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting album with non-stop originality
Very positive opinion of the album though. First time I heard this was on PS3 Music Unlimited and couldn't wait to hear every next track. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Theresa
4.0 out of 5 stars
like an 80s video game
The Octopus Project sounds like an 80s video game. It beeps and buzzes. And it uses that basic synth sound we're used to hearing out of an old TV while playing Atari. Read more
Published on December 14, 2007 by T. Plummer
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