Octavius is the brainchild of William Marshall (vocalist/programmer), who emerged with Audio Noir after four years in San Francisco’s hip-hop, electronic and avant-rock underground. Marshall’s style is vast, to say the least, and to virgin ears multi-dimensional, and sometimes complicated, experimental sounds. Vocals range from quiet whispers to angry shouting, distorted by countless, experimental sounds. Although the music is nice and multi-dimensional, even downright melodic at times, it almost seems as though there is too much going on at once; as if he wanted to fit every possible thought and feeling (therefore sound) he could make into every single track on the whim, as he created it. In turn, the music becomes almost convoluted, but undoubtedly adored by fans of this particular genre. Octavius offers vocal and production techniques that are employed in such a way that it creates an almost unnerving effect on the listener in a way that overwhelms and thrills equally. In summary, my interpretation of this album ranges from subtle ambience to unobstructed rage and back and over again.

potty-mouth tracks: most lyrics are hard to decipher . . . no obvious cussing.

(note: rating numbers are out of 10 and following each track description)
1. Monochrome: haunting melody, chaotic crashes and guitar, whispering vocals (7). 2. Surprisingly Concerned with One Another: simple sound, quiet and reflective, calmer (6). 3. Cellophane: random noises, spoken vocals, lingering melody backdrop (7). 4.Vacant/Panic: tragic beat, angry vocals, long quiet outro (6). 5. Momentum/Parisian War Song: sad, dark beat, whispery spoken lyrics, abrupt mood changes (7). 6. Speed Limit: noisy to quiet moods, echo-y vocals, background sampling (6). 7. Sudden and Increasingly Strange Behavior: haunting melody and vocals, nice and slow, simpler tune that gets more noisy (8). 8. Artificial Sparks of the Electrical Stripping: more ambient, calm beats, melancholic, easy listen, long outro (8). 9. Before You Go Away: Another quiet, calm track, never really picks up or changes, slurred vocals (6).

review courtesy of LadyDev