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Reviews

The Octopus Project, ‘Hexadecagon’ (Peek-a-Boo)

A stereo mixdown of an ambitious live show involving 16 separate audio and visual feeds, the Octopus Project’s all-instrumental fourth album subjects uplifting minimalist themes to a garage-rocking frenzy. The centerpiece is “Circling,” an 11-minute oceanic tapestry involving some 40 overdubbed pianos that ebb and flow. The group refines its previous knack for pop pleasures with the unhinged Nintendo nostalgia of “Glass Jungle” and “A Phantasy,” where Yvonne Lambert’s glockenspiel takes the lead. Hexadecagon is the Tubular Bells of the 8-bit generation, and that’s a compliment.