Listen To: The Octopus Project’s Golden Beds EP

They are tech happy glitch kids who know how to shred on guitars. The Octopus Project’s Golden Beds EP (Peek-A-Boo Records) offers two tracks previously unreleased in the US, a polished version of a track off their first album and two songs not finished in time for their last album Hello, Avalanche.

Within the first thirty seconds of “Wet Gold,” the EP’s opening track, the starry expansiveness that makes The Octopus Project (OP) a rich sugary equation is confidently displayed. Hand claps, check. Samples of keyboard blips that glisten next to early 90’s alt rock drums, yes. A slightly distorted bass line from a synthesizer, sure. Add coed angelic vocals that sing “We had no choice but to destroy every note/ and every prototype and every page” and The Octopus Project offers the unmistakable reverie that has evolved into their trademark best. “Wet Gold” has those elements permeating back and forth for a majority of the song. Eventually the drums and vocals drop out and the Theremin and synthesizers combine to create an atmospheric wonder wall that brings the song to its twinkling end.

“Moon Boil” is a peppy semi lo-fi alt rock anthem with enough hooks to occupy an army of Peter Pans. The guitar fuzz coalesces with the glockenspiel in way that isn’t forced. The glittery bliss that coats “Wet Gold” is thrown into oblivion on this track. Instead, post rock guitars travel through distortion pedals and end up methodically spewing out a reverb soaked amp.

“Roral” is proof how OP has grown and matured in the past seven years since the release of their first album Identification Parade. The song has evolved over the years as the band upgraded the caliber of the song with each live performance. The bass pounds the same note while the universe traveling Theremin and the reverb heavy guitar take turns churning out well executed blips of cosmic beguilement. Another distortion heavy guitar joins the mix along with drums that almost sound comparable to the chorus beat in Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song.”

The next track “Wood Trumpet” is a cute, hook driven number that wears off after a couple listens. It seems as though the same one and a half minutes of rhythm and melody are copied and pasted. At first the track offers a nice blend of digital bleeps and drum loops that mix well with organic drums and electric guitars. The height of the song comes when the guitars quickly fade out and a coat of Múm influenced glittery glitch drone fills the space. The guitars and drums reemerge toward the end in an effort to add to the layers of the track, and ultimately shows a flaw of OP. At times, as displayed on “Wood Trumpet,” the layers don’t complement each other. The result is taxing and clustered after a few listens.

If beat maker extraordinaire Jimmy Tamborello of The Postal Service/ Dntel had a kid sister she would most definitely include “Half a Nice Day” on her iTunes playlist. Drum machines, laptops, loop stations and a single high hat blend together to create a chipper piece of music. “Half a Nice Day” is upbeat in a clever, gentle way. Before the “instrumentation” gets stale, OP throws in a banjo just to keep things interesting, which seems like a gamble but works out well. Unlike “Wood Trumpet,” “Half a Nice Day” succeeds in combining its elements to form a tender cloud of musicality.

Overall, Golden Beds accomplishes what it sets out to do. It reacquaints fans while keeping them curiously engaged for the future. Although endearing, not everyone may be on board for the sucrose glitch blip of a haunted train ride through the alt rock cosmos. It’s disjointed but not confused enough to take away the ambition from what it is: an intelligent, enjoyable headphone escape. Even genius’ have their flaws.

Watch the video for “Wet Gold” below

by: Bene Garcia

The End of Poverty? Trailer

Studio Synopsis:
“The End of Poverty? is a daring, thought-provoking and very timely documentary by award-winning filmmaker, Philippe Diaz, revealing that poverty is not an accident. It began with military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in the seizure of land, minerals and forced labor. Today, global poverty has reached new levels because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies — in other words, wealthy countries exploiting the weaknesses of poor, developing countries.

“The End of Poverty? asks why today 20% of the planet’s population uses 80% of its resources and consumes 30% more than the planet can regenerate?

“The film has been selected to over 25 international film festivals and will be released in theaters in November 2009. Directed by Philippe Diaz, narrated by Martin Sheen, produced by Cinema Libre Studio with the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, 104mins, 2008, USA, documentary in English, Spanish, French with English Subtitles.”

Learn how you can help bring The End of Poverty? to a theater near you by clicking here

posted by: Brent Carter

De La Soul’s 20 Years High and Rising Tour

(via Grandcrew)
“De La Soul is not dead! You better believe it! The 3 New Yorkers reminisce on stage over their 20-year strong career in a global tour that pays tribute to their first album “Three Feet High And Rising”. Their Paris concert was off the hook, proof that their beats have not lost impact and that the years have NOT affected their energy and sense of humor. Mad respect!”

posted by: Brent Carter

Live Recap: Thee Oh Sees and The Fresh and Onlys

Lots of shows come through our fair city of Lawrence – most are good, some are bad, and a select few are so completely amazing they go straight to the concert spank bank to be remembered forevermore.  Last Wednesday night, when The Fresh & Onlys came to town along with Thee Oh Sees for instance, that show will be safely tucked away, somewhere between that one Gogogo Airheart show at the Replay and the time the Dirtbombs played the Bottleneck. A hot, sticky wad of rock and roll goodness, even ‘ye old 9 to 5′ers were out in full force, already discussing several completely believable excuses for Thursday morning’s call-in.

The musical orgy opened with some local flavor from Bandit Teeth and Ad Astra Arkestra – the latter of whom positively filled every inch of stage with band members making joyous sounds on a dazzling display of instruments. The opening acts did their job with aplomb befitting their usual praise, and the crowd was well warmed up and ready for a little grinding and heavy aural petting by the very willing lads of The Fresh & Onlys. This band came on stage and let it rip all over the delighted, hungry faces of the audience, playing tune after tune in such rapid succession the lead singer had nary a chance to remove his sunglasses until the show was over. The Fresh & Only’s live show was every bit as raw and glorious as their new CD Grey-Eyed Girls and hopes were flying just as high for Thee Oh Sees.

Shunning the Jackpot stage, Thee Oh Sees instead set up their instruments on the floor, letting folks surround them on all sides and inviting up close and personal interaction between band and crowd throughout the set. There’s really nothing like letting it all go while watching somebody else let it all go on an instrument performing inches away. And perform Thee Oh Sees did – positively ripping through songs with heat and heavy riffs to spare, leaving the crowd panting, glowing and ready to keep going – don’t stop -  even as the lights went down and the last notes rang from the instruments.

It was just how you always remembered shows being, it was just how shows should always be, this show was one to remember.

Winter Gloves Release New Music And New Video for “Party People”

Montreal’s Winter Gloves is set to release A Way To Celebrate, a new digital-only complement to their debut album about a girl which will be available from iTunes October 6 at a special low price. The digital release is a collection of remixes, live versions, experiments with arrangements and everything that makes sense in between, including a recording from a local train station of the band’s hometown. Winter Gloves is also releasing a video created from vintage commercial clips for “Party People,” directed by Marie-Eve Lapointe and assisted by Vincent Chalifour, in support of their forthcoming tour.

Winter Gloves Tour Dates
November 13 – Los Angeles, CA at The Echo w/ Thunderheist
November 14 – San Francisco, CA at 330 Ritch w/ Thunderheist
November 17 – Portland, OR at Rotture w/ Thunderheist
November 18 – Bellingham, WA at The Wild Buffalo w/ Thunderheist
November 19 – Seattle, WA at Chop Suey w/ Thunderheist
November 20 – Vancouver, BC at Biltmore w/ Thunderheist
November 21 – Victoria, BC at Sugar w/ Thunderheist
November 24 – Edmonton, AB at The ARTery
November 25 – Calgary, AB at Broken City
November 27 – Winnipeg, MB at Lo Pub

posted by: Harold Johns III