Fever Forms

Just when you think this electronic group might have hit a proverbial wall, Austin's Octopus Project shows a reenergized strategy for its fifth album, 2013's Fever Forms. Having written film soundtracks and significantly raised its profile, Octopus Project here sounds more aggressive and user-friendly than ever. "The Falls" roars from whatever underground battlestation the group occupies. That sets up the liquid charge of the multi-planed "Pyramid Kosmos," which goes beyond simple arpeggio execution into a trickle-down vibe where the bouncy melody subsides and lets one breathe before taking on the pure-pop schematic of the album's first single, "Whitby." This is where the group temporarily shrinks down to fit through the narrow noise-hole of an imaginary AM radio station for electronica fans. Two and a half minutes later, the band adds the punkish, vocal-heavy "Death Graduates." It also mines prog ("The Mythical E.L.C."), Sonic Youth post-punk ("Mmkit"), ork-pop ("The Man with the Golden Hand"), ambient ("Perhap"), and skittishness ("Choi Signs") by album's end.