Octoberman “Run From Safety” (White Whale Records 2007)

Octoberman. The beautiful bouncing lovechild of an illicit love affair between Alt. Country and Prog Rock

Octoberman: an secret, insidious “neuro-linguistic programme” used by men who can’t get laid via normal methods, touted as “the most deadly seduction technique known to man”, or a Vancouver-based indie Alt-Country band embracing prog rock with edges of psychedelia? Well, both, but here we’ll talk about the latter.

Octoberman (the band) originated back in 2003 when singer/songwriter Marc Morrisette came back from a backpacking holiday around Asia and Europe and decided to write an album based around his experiences. Fastforward a couple of years and here we have “Run From Safety”, the second, very beautiful album.

Aside from the obvious influences – Neil Young, Bright Eyes, Iron and Wine, etc - there is a delightful Mercury Rev-esque weirdness that permeates “Run From Safety”: catchy riffs, an underlying river of melancholy, beautiful melodies and thoughtful (if not a bit bonkers) lyrics. Oh, and let’s not forget the genius Mariachi brass section.

There is also a dark streak a mile wide, and as nice as the music sounds you can’t help but feel slightly uneasy after having a good listen. All is not what it seems and this is precisely how it should be.

“Run From Safety” is a magical, spell-binding album that is definitely worth checking out.

Date review added:  Sunday, October 21, 2007
Reviewer:  Sian Claire Owen
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  Band website