Octopus Off Broadway

The return of the seminal post-rocker Tim Furnish (previously of Cerebellum and Crain), Octopus off Broadway is a complex mélange of layered organic textures, subdued guitar tones, and light, relaxing rhythms. Although probably taking more cues from prog rock and Krautrock than from the clichéd ranks of more modern post-rockers, Parlour never comes off as overly esoteric, with their rather stripped-down guitar-bass-synth-drums approach creating a wash of pensive and laid-back, yet entirely expressive, tones. Four years in the making, the time seems well spent, with rather cinematic tracks like "Sleeper" featuring playfully literate and aurally descriptive arrangements. In the end, while there is nothing truly groundbreaking emerging from the somnambulistic haze of these seven tracks, there is also little denying that the listening experience is an entirely enjoyable companion for the hour it visits.