Skill with Sixteen Sides
The Octopus Project returns with their first full-length release in three years. Hexadecagon packs so much into eight tracks that the album feels more of an epic concept album. This is an album with very little restraint with the band unleashing themselves at the release with an intensity rarely seen among recording artists.
Opener “Fuguefat” is one of the best on the album. Its ascending piano intro in 7/8 gives way to a multitude of layers from pianos and electronically generated drums. The sheer complexity of this composition is astounding and is an example of the band doing what they do best.
The Octopus Project has been creating electronically generated post-rock for 11 years, and Hexadecagon is no exception. If anything, the album builds on the band’s more structured third album Hello, Avalanche, creating a unique blend of sounds that do much to inspire the kind of spastic thoughts saved for the most bizarre of dreams.
The band is more than capable of the exploration of which they undertake, and Hexadecagon is an exciting journey through the minds of individuals who have an intimate knowledge of sound manipulation. Not only is this the most creative album of their career, if may be the most exciting of the year.
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