Octo Octa

A few months ago when I first heard a handful of songs from Brooklyn's (formerly of Dover, NH) Octo Octa, I walked away feeling a bit underwhelmed. His being a fan of Aphex Twin and Squarepusher, as well as being a label mate of the amazing Almanac Mountain, seemed to bode well for the listening experience, but alas, I initially found the music to be cold and tinny.

Fast-forward to this weekend when the head of Spiragraph sent me a pair of new songs to listen to. Now this was more like it. After listening to "Let Me See You", I was instantly transported in my mind to a friendly non-pretentious club, with smiling people all around me, the sun shining down through a hole in the roof, and everyone having a joyous time moving on the dance floor. It's four minutes of pure happiness.

The other new song I heard was "I'm Trying". In a dark room, freshly-scrubbed bodies packed in on all sides, and multi-colored lights flashing on the other side of closed eyelids, the crowd moves to the entrancing beats. Six strong minutes of electronic togetherness. Every time the song ends I want to hear more, and that is always a good thing. I'd go to that party.

After hearing these fantastic new offerings, I went back to listen to Octo Octa's older stuff. I can now see where the artist was coming from. A person needs to be in the mindset of having just spent several hours playing old Nintendo games, and having to burn off some nervous energy after sitting on his/her backside all day. I had to transport myself back to a time when the bleeps, blips, and 'doodle-dee-dadas' of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong and Super Mario Brothers filled my head to truly appreciate songs like "Kid Wobble", which I have a new respect for, and especially the 'Peek Into The Future Version' of "Game Over", which can be found on Soundcloud.

Overall I like the direction Octo Octa is going. I missed his appearance at the first "Goodnight, John Boy" series, and am not sure if he is performing at the next one on August 14th (see "Upcoming Events" at the top of the page), but if you care to see him live, check his Reverb Nation homepage from time to time for gigs. And check out this early performance of his from the Ello Gallery in Portsmouth, NH: