Octopus Project
Memory Mirror (Robot High School)
Reviewed by Abby Johnston, Fri., April 14, 2017
OctProj staked its claim with sprawling instrumental, cinematic soundscapes, which made the local quartet's forays into video game and film scoring a natural transition. After several such projects in a row, Memory Mirror reacts with fast and decidedly concise songs. The Austinites' sixth album blasts off on "Prism Riot," a one-minute beach rock blip led by guitars and echoed by similarly clipped garage rocker "Cuidate." Leaning more on six strings, the album's no radical departure from the band's roots. "Wrong Gong" sounds a full-on electronic melee, the synth and samples whizzing like a frantic arcade game. "Pedro Yang," too, lays out a vast electro landscape, only rooted in this world by a snap of drums. When those two worlds collide, everything comes into focus. High-powered instrumental "Understanding Fruit" utilizes light electronic tweaks over distorted guitar that evoke math-rock nostalgia, and eerie synths punctuate the guitar thrum of "Ledgeridge." Memory Mirror slows on closer "Leven," a bass-heavy, brooding, bedroom rock cut sealed with the lonesome calls of Yvonne Lambert's trademark theremin capping Octopus Project's catharsis.