The Octopus Project, Black Moth Super Rainbow - The House of Apples and Eyeballs

"The House of Apples & Eyeballs" is not a split, but a year-long, full-length collaboration by both bands. The Octopus Project is known and loved for their uncategorizable broken-guitars-meet-samplers-meet-drums-meet-drum machines sound, while the musical island of Black Moth Super Rainbow would rather play their songs in the woods and not let you know if their gear is broken or working just fine. Holding hands from Austin to Pittsburgh, they set out to create one of the wilder pop records of the year. For anyone familiar with both bands, may you find yourself at peace with this dream record. But know that not all is as it seems, and the challenge of figuring out which band played which parts may sometimes be impossible. While a couple tracks did make it to the record in their original, one-band form, most were passed back and forth for several rounds of dismemberment, rearrangement, and augmentation. The result overflows with sonic treats: cut-up beats and vocoder melodies collide with huge, distorted riffs. A theremin orchestra descends into layered steel guitars before all is dissolved in a wash of hazy synths. The Octopus Project appears courtesy of Peek-A-Boo Records. They have wowed audiences in 2006 at Coachella, and were named one of Rolling Stone's breakout bands of SXSW. They will soon be going into the studio to record their very highly anticipated third album in 2007. Black Moth Super Rainbow lives on Graveface Records, and although known as somewhat of an enigma, has come out of the forest in 2006 to play at the request of bands like Of Montreal and The Black Angels. They have been recording their third full length album that will be released when the time is just right. Product Description

Just like you would imagine

What can I say? If you love Black Moth Super Rainbow, you're going to love this album. I'm not really familiar with The Octopus Project, but this album has definitely piqued my interest in the band. The floaty melodies provided by BMSR meld with The OP's heavier style, adding more audible drums and other elements usually excluded from BMSR's catalog. It's like a modern psychedelic jam-dream, basically. August 6, 2008

plays well with others

I've been somewhat obsessed with Black Moth Super Rainbow ever since I picked up Dandelion Gum last year. I have since gotten their first two albums and this has only increased my thirst for more- so when I came across this collaboration I had to have it, of course. But I was not familiar with The Octopus Project, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The collaboration works very well, taking the best parts of BMSR and adding some elements not usually mixed in with their music- namely electric guitars and some catchy drum loops thanks to OP. I think this was a good introduction to OP, and I look forward to exploring their solo work. I would recommend this album if you like either band, or are a fan of experimental music in general- its strange, trippy, and above all- fun to listen to! 4 Stars March 15, 2008

Who is Who?

Couldn't tell one from the other. Since I never heard either one before they just sounded like one group. I was hoping some voices from the part of Black Moth Super Rainbow and found out it is totally instrumental. Trippy sounds, some musical moments, not very exciting but probably at the right time and in the proper mindset they may prove even better. So far not very exciting sounding a little like...Can't think of a comparison at this juncture, quite agreeable at times but nothing to write home about. More like 3.5 than 3 stars but since half measures are not considered had to give it 3. There are too many bands out there and only the very best rises to the top. All the rest find themselves on the immense sea of the average. Some more, some less. I do not dislike them and I am happy to include them in my collection but will not be purchasing more of the same for some time. The Octopus Project + Black Moth Super Rainbow "The House of Apples and Eyeballs" 3.5 Stars! October 18, 2007

Not a bad idea

One senses that it would have been easy for a CD like this to go over the edge into unlistenable territory if the individual composers had a free hand with all these instrumental tracks jumbled together. By having two bands pass the music back and forth it's entirely possible that it forced individual passages in the songs to mellow out and be melodic, that someone's ears were hurt in the process, forcing change. Anyway, it did work out and it's a nice techno-ambient excursion. I would have liked more of a human element involved, a girl's voice with this type of music fits so well. August 17, 2007

Awesome

These bands sound awesome together on cd and live. June 14, 2007

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