Austin Sound

Dammit Wiley Wiggins, now you’re just messing with our heads. This video kinda creeps us the hell out, and yet, and yet, we can’t stop watching. You’ve done Mesmer-ed us pretty good with this one. Of course, the trippy Octopus Project beats help, as well. This is Wiggin’s video for OPro’s “Hallucinists” (and you can check out his equally trippy and seizure-inducing one for “Catalog” here), which is from the quartet’s amazing Hexadecagon project that they debuted at SXSW last year. The Octopus Project is putting the tunes from that out on CD on October 26, though sadly they don’t yet seem to have a local date lined up for the occasion. The album was also mixed by John Congleton, just add some extra craziness into the action, no doubt. And for a small price, Wiggins will come to your house while you listen to the album and project crazy stuff to make you trip. (Wiggins will not come to your house and project crazy stuff to make you trip). You can, however, watch his video for “Hallucinists” below, which should serve your needs just fine.

And by crazy, we mean crazy awesome! Maybe. We’ve read through this damned email that the Octopus Project sent out, and we’re still not exactly sure what the hell they’re doing. So we’ll just let them explain below. But the gist of it is that it’s been a while since we’ve really heard anything from the O-Pro, but they’re coming back out in a big way at SXSW this year with some kind of Flaming Lips-ian show stunt on the roof of Whole Foods downtown. They’ll be giving two performances on Friday, March 19, (at 7:30 and 9:00pm) and, egalitarians that they are, no wristbands or badges will help you - it’s free, and on a first come, first serve basis. The roof only holds about 600 people, so if you miss the old days of camping out for hours and standing in line at Waterloo Records to get your SXSW wristband, this will surely make up for it! So what is the crazy “Hexadecagon” show? Check out the details below:

EPs as a format have come to serve a number of useful functions for artists. They can be tightly distilled little nuggets that capture a band at a certain point in their evolution, a cohesive and full narrative in and of its self. They can also be a dump of random material that simply doesn’t fit in with the vision of a larger project or album, unreleased material that is worthy to be heard, but incongruous with a band’s typical vision. And they can also signal a transition for a band, easing fans into what to expect without forcing the harsh shift in a dramatic new direction on a new LP. Where exactly the Octopus Project’s new EP, Golden Beds sits in their oeuvre and functions for the band can’t really be seen until we see where they head on their next full-length, but the release could very well be heard as representing any of these conceptions of the EP. For sure, even with just the five songs, there is a new sound to the O-Pro that could very well hint at big aesthetic changes for the quartet in the future, but the EP also gestures in a number of different directions and could simply be the purging of quality material that simply doesn’t flow with the group’s overall sound. Golden Beds could just be the odd hiccup in their trajectory, or it could be the work that we look back to in the future that harbingered a sea change; either way, it’s a compelling offering from one of Austin’s most dynamic musical ambassadors.

Could the Octopus Project be any more adorable? We mean that in a good way, but seriously, they’re going to be your kid sister’s new favorite band, if they aren’t already. That’s alright though, because it just ensures that your kid sister will have good taste in music. Thanks O.P.! The local quartet premiered [...]

Next month, just after they take the Stubb’s stage with Explosions in the Sky on July 4, the Octopus Project will release a new enhanced EP titled Golden Beds. Yeah, we thought it was kind of weird too, especially after their UK-released single “Wet Gold” on Too Pure. We’re preparing with trepidation for golden showers! The EP will be their first stateside offering since 2007’s amazing Hello, Avalanche, and will feature five songs and 7 videos. Given the OP’s flair for the visual, the EP sounds like a cool combination. Included on the release, which drops via Peek-A-Boo Records on July 14, are the previous UK singles “Wet Gold” and “Moon Boil,” and three new songs. Check out the tracklist and video’s below, and you can pre-order and stream the new EP here.

The Octopus Project recently offered up this delightful little cover the Bee Gees’ “I.O.I.O” for free download as a gift to fans. Josh, Miranda, and Toto all take turns on the vocals, and sound great, which makes us wonder if maybe the instrumental group will be trying out some new vocalage on their next album, which they’re anticipating releasing next Fall. In the meantime, they have an EP which should be available soon, and includes the UK 7″ tunes “Wet Gold” and “Moon Boil” as well as some Hello, Avalanche holdovers. There’s also talk of scoring a film! So needless to say, the ‘Pus Pro is busy (yeah, that will probably be the last time we go with that “Pus Pro,” but it was worth a shot). Get groovin’ to “I.O.I.O.” below:

Last week Pitchfork premiered a brand new Octopus Project video, and it’s a beauty. It’s another animated charmer, which seems to be all the rage the days, and despite its ghosts and bloody axes and sad looking people, somehow still manages to be whimsical thanks to Ms. Yvonne’s lovely Theremin action. “I Saw the Bright Shinies” is, of course, off of OP’s latest LP, Hello, Avalanche, and the video was created by Divya Srinivasan, who also did the video for Spoon’s “Everything Hits at Once.”

The Octopus Project is currently entrancing the East Coast, but will land back in Austin just in time for Fun Fun Fun Fest on November 8 & 9, which is coming up fast in just a couple of weeks! No word on whether or not OP will be bringing out the high school orchestra like they did at ACL, but we sure hope so. Check the video below:

Fresh off of their showing at Lollapalooza this weekend, the Octopus Project have a new video for their song “An Evening with Rthrtha.” It’s the second video from last year’s fantastic Hello, Avalanche, following the video for “Truck” last winter. The group is currently still riding their 7″ single for UK imprint with the songs “Wet Gold” and “Moon Boil.”

The video for “An Evening with Rthrtha” was created by Phillip Niemeyer from Brooklyn studio Double Triple and California filmmaker Ryan Junell, and is a dreamy sequence to stop-motion animation. Wait for the freakout about 2 minutes in for a real trip. OP won’t be back in Austin until their set for the ACL Festival at the end of September, but they do have some west coast dates former Sound Off featured artist The Diagonals. Check out the video below.

The Octopus Project - Photo by Aubrey Edwards

Local indie-electronic band The Octopus Project have recently been added to the lineup for UT’s 40 Acres Fest, which is happening this Saturday at noon. You know as well as we do that no festival is complete without The Octopus Project caressing the electronics. The whole show starts at noon, but The Octopus Project are on at 7pm, followed by the headliners The Roots at 8pm.

Full lineup after the jump.

1/22/08
The Octopus Project are readying the release of a new 7″ single for the UK label Too Pure. The single will be part of Too Pure’s monthly Singles Club and will feature two brand new songs from the local quartet, “Wet Gold,” and “Moon Boil.”

The release marks OP’s first outside of the US, and though it will only be available physically through the label’s club, the songs will be up on iTunes. Too Pure, which is home to an impressive roster including Stereolab, Electrelane, and Scout Niblett, will also feature singles from Anni Rossi, Camera Obscura collaborator Fr�n�ois, and Electrelane’s Ros Murray. The Octopus Project will get their release in March with a very limited 500 copies. You can find out more info and sign up to the club here