Austin electronica gurus The Octopus Project make wonderfully vibrant pop that dances wildly between sunny hooks and grungy noise. It’s weird enough to thoughtlessly slap the “experimental” tag on it, but that term conveys a sort of guesswork that’s clearly not in play here: Rock-evolved techno-tinged songs such as “I Saw The Bright Shinies” on the new Hello, Avalanche skip along with catchy precision. The album is a trippy blast, and that didn’t happen by accident—and live, the band exudes a level of warmth and glee not usually felt from the average crew of keyboard-punchers and knob-twisters. Maybe Horse Plus Donkey will also lighten up and apply its apocalyptic reverb to a goofy three-minute pop song instead of its usual sinister (albeit entrancing) slouch toward Bethlehem, but even if they don’t, chamber-rock group Cue will smooth any rough edges with
its soundtrack-ready slices of heavenly orchestral pop.

Cue – “Fleur de Lis”