Octopus Off-Broadway

Parlour
Secretly Canadian
General | Apr 2002

Reviews

nari
Reviewed 2002-05-13
PARLOUR "Octopus Off-Broadway" [label: temp.residence]

A new very Louisville, Kentucky post-rock project from Tim Furnish of The For Carnation and Aerial M (insert lists him as guitars and 'electro-octopization'). Unlike the aforementioned groups, Parlour's brand of instrumental rock has high energy and tension, due mostly to the sharp live drumming. They use krautlike repeated phrases backed by a morphing texture of synths to create lively and hypnotic mood pieces. -nari

*1. start off the album with a bang - urgent beats and a funky groove for this mesmerizing track
2. how many steve reich & philip glass comparisons can I fit in this week? only time will tell. kooky soundbank and urgent, repeated theme.
3. begins sad flutes, develops into sad, intensely moody rocker; this would be first pick for my show, but probably not yours
*4. lighthearted, somewhat psych/trancey song, with a nice little groove underneath
5. idyllic synth & woodwind texture.. then a circus clown's theme at 1:41
*6. starts off spacey and futuristic, then bass & drums come in for a very right-on syncopated trip-hop kind of groove; nice melodic variety, and pretty textures; builds to a big splashy ending; nice.
*7. another rump waggin good groove, this time under a heavy haze of synths and a pretty, bittersweet melody; ends & fades into a low hum at -7:35 left; the low hum comes alive at about -5:00 for an ominous ambient excursion

Recent airplay

Mperfect
nag champa orangeasmJun 04, 2008
Mperfect
Memory SelectJul 19, 2002
Stipendlax
Mr. Sparkle ChallengeJul 02, 2002
Stipendlax
Strange AttractorsJun 18, 2002
Stipendlax
Subbinn NubbinsJun 06, 2002

Track listing

1. Stipendlax
2. Aflipperput
3. This Time
4. Mperfect
5. Sleeper
6. Weeds Thatgrow Into Trees
7. The Living Begining