The Octopus Project

The Octopus Project will ring familiar to anyone conversant in the dynamics of indietronica and Postal Service poptronics. But there’s no Jenny Lewis cooing pretty-girl vocals, nor Ben Gibbard whining about his god-awful life, just peppy instrumentals that are deceptively smart. When Josh Lambert strums his guitar, he actually plays power chords, and drummer Toto Miranda pounds out beats, lending rhythmic drive to such cuts as “The Adjustor.” But even its quieter numbers such as “Responsible Stu” are surprisingly supple, contrasting well to their harder, rock-oriented numbers. The lack of a strong vocal presence doesn’t leave One Ten Hundred Thousand Million rootless, just whirling aimlessly, leaving your own thoughts to fill in the space.