Peek-A-Boo Records News

The Octopus Project announces "Hexadecagon"

2010-02-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

This morning The Octopus Project announced a new audiovisual experiment called "Hexadecagon," to be performed during SXSW on the roof of Whole Foods. The name, a geometrical term for a sixteen-sided object, loosely describes a custom eight-channel audio and eight-channel video system that the band has been experimenting with for many months now, in addition to writing original music, building custom electronics, programming software and shooting video footage for the event.

For the performance, eight speakers will be set up in a circle surrounding the audience with the band set up in the middle, while a combination of video and still images will be projected onto eight overhead screens. With this setup, the band can send all or part of the music spinning around in a circle or jumping from point to point across the space, or put completely different elements in each speaker. Meanwhile the video can run independently or in tight synchronization with the sounds (following them around the circle, for example).

The Octopus Project will perform Hexadecagon twice (early & late shows) on Friday, March 19, 2010, on the rooftop plaza of Whole Foods at 6th & Lamar. The event is FREE, all ages and open to the public. Capacity is very limited, and admittance will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Hexadecagon is not affiliated with SXSW, so badges and wristbands are NOT required and will grant no special entry.

For more details, check The Octopus Project's official site.

The Octopus Project's first two albums reissued on vinyl

2009-09-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

Close on the heels of a new EP and recent North American tour, The Octopus Project's first two albums have been reissued on vinyl and are available in stores now. The band's haunting debut, Identification Parade, was originally issued by Peek-A-Boo Records in 2002, and deftly combines the experimentation of progressive post-rock, the blips and bleeps of electronic music and the raw, human ROCK of rock. Recorded and assembled over several years while the band was still mostly a recording project, Identification Parade is far more etherial, hypnotic and atmospheric than subsequent albums, and has been best described as "ambidextrous equipment failure junk-tronica."

Several years and many tours later, the 2005 sophomore album, One Ten Hundred Thousand Million, captured the barely-controlled chaos of The Octopus Project's live performances in a rich, surround sound, 3-D, technicolor studio amalgamation injected with the wild energy they felt in noisy, tightly-packed clubs. It was this album that caught the attention of Rolling Stone Senior Editor David Fricke, who described the band's sound as "an outtake of the Beach Boys' 'Good Vibrations' with Mogwai as the studio band" and "tightly composed bundles of synthesized whoop and circus-calliope cheer... like Stereolab with happy feet."

Identification Parade has never appeared on vinyl until now. One Ten Hundred Thousand Million was originally released on vinyl in a very limited edition of 500 copies with alternate hand-screened cover artwork. Peek-A-Boo Records is very excited to finally make both of these stellar albums available for vinyl enthusiasts.

» Order Identification Parade LP
» Order One Ten Hundred Thousand Million LP

Knife in the Water, Big Drag featured in Spin Magazine "100 Greatest Bands" List

2009-08-30T09:52:00.001-07:00

The August 2009 issue of Spin Magazine features a nine-page spread called "Unsung: The 100 Greatest Bands You've (Probably) Never Heard," dedicated to all of the obscure bands the publication has failed to give proper credit over the years.

"In Spin's nearly 25-year history, some truly crap bands have achieved glory while more deserving — or just less lucky — artists languished on the fringes," states the introduction to the list, which includes such word-of-mouth favorites as Opal, Unrest, Huggy Bear, The Gories and Gaunt. Also included on that list are former Peek-A-Boo Records artists Knife in the Water (Austin, TX) and personal favorites Big Drag (San Antonio, TX).

Other Texas bands included on the list are Cherubs, Sixteen Deluxe and Young Heart Attack.

The Octopus Project launches tour supporting new Golden Beds EP

2009-07-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

The Octopus Project is hitting road once again to promote a brand new release due in stores next week. The band has kept busy over the past month by touring around the south, playing at the Austin Fashion Awards last week and rounding out an incredible 4th of July show at Stubb's with Explosions In the Sky and The Wooden Birds. The band sets out once again today on an extended North American tour behind the forthcoming Golden Beds enhanced CD EP, which features five songs and seven videos (over 40 minutes of sights and sounds!).

Musically, some tracks are new, some are fresh takes on ideas from the past and each explores a different facet of their omnivorous sonic creations — from big-riff rock to tiny electronics to blissful sing-alongs. You can stream the entire EP here, so roll up those shirt sleeves and get ready to dip your arms deep into this kaleidoscopic candy jar full of tasty Octopus-flavored treats of both the audio and visual variety.

Also slated for release are vinyl reissues of the first two albums, Identification Parade and One Ten Hundred Thousand Million, due in stores in early September and available for pre-order now from the Peek-A-Boo Records website.

Super XX Man Volume III EP digitally reissued and expanded

2009-03-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

Scott Garred, aka Super XX (pronounced "double-X") Man, began self-releasing his home recordings in the mid-'90s, while still fronting the popular indie-pop trio Silver Scooter. At the time, Super XX Man's four-tracked cassettes were simply a side project, but when Scott moved to Portland in 2002, he continued his solo recordings, eventually recruiting a full band and moving Super XX Man onto the stage and into the studio. Super XX Man has since been featured twice on NPR's All Songs Considered and has just released a new studio album, Volume XII: There'll Be Diamonds, on Portland's Tender Loving Empire label.

When Peek-A-Boo Records originally released Super XX Man's Volume III EP in 1997, it was limited to six tracks due to the inherent limitations of the 7" format. However, Scott had recorded more than twice that number of tracks with the idea that, like the two preceding self-released cassettes, Volume III would hold 12 songs. With this digital re-issue, Volume III has finally been expanded and restored to include the missing tracks, among which you'll find a moving cover of East River Pipe's "Crawl Away."

The expanded reissue of Volume III is now available for download via iTunes and eMusic, and vinyl fans who purchase the original 7" version of the EP will receive a download code for the full digital release.

» Order the Super XX Man Volume III 7" EP
» Download from iTunes
» Download from eMusic

Peek-A-Boo Records SXSW 2009 Events

2009-03-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a summary of appearances by Peek-A-Boo Records artists during SXSW 2009. More details can be found on the tour dates page.

The Octopus Project "An Evening With Rthrtha"
music video screening
Friday, March 13, 7:30 pm @ Alamo Lamar, Screen 3
Wednesday, March 18, 2:15 pm @ Alamo Ritz, Screen 2
Saturday, March 21st, 5:30 pm @ Alamo Ritz, Screen 2

MakeMusic TalkMusic SXSW Party
Friday, March 13, 10 pm @ The Beauty Bar
Peel, MVSCLZ, Nieliyo

All Tomorrow's Parties SXSW Party
Tuesday, March 17 @ Emo's
The Octopus Project, The Drones, Sleepy Sun, Micah P. Hinson

Autobus Records SXSW Party
Saturday, March 21 @ Okay Mountain Gallery
1:00 pm - Peel
1:45 pm - The Wooden Birds
2:30 pm - The Shivers
3:15 pm - Canopy
4:00 pm - The Weird Weeds
4:45 pm - Callers
5:30 pm - Brazos
6:15 pm - Mellow Owl
7:00 pm - Mark D. Ashworth

Slip Productions SXSW Party
Saturday, March 21 @ The Radio Room (main stage)
5:15 pm - Cursive
4:35 pm - Frodus
3:40 pm - The Van Pelt
2:45 pm - Silver Scooter
1:50 pm - Pinebender
1:15 pm - The Life and Times
12:35 pm - Young Widows
12:00 pm - The Poison Arrows
11:30 am - Head of Skulls!

Official SXSW Showcase
Saturday, March 21 @ Smokin Music'
7:30 pm - Peel
8:30 pm - Scotland Yard Gospel Choir
9:30 pm - The Love Me Nots
10:30 pm - Ian Moore
11:30 pm - Greg Camp

The Agency Group Official SXSW Showcase
Saturday, March 21 @ Emo's (main stage)
9:00 pm - The Octopus Project
10:00 pm - Yelle
11:00 pm - Trail of Dead
12:00 am - Grupo Fantasma
1:00 am - Daniel Johnston

New Diagonals video (featuring Black Lipstick's Steve Garcia)

2009-03-05T08:45:00.000-08:00

In case you hadn't heard, Black Lipstick booming bass man and wicked guitar wizard Steve Garcia formed a new band called Diagonals. Diagonals have a new LP called Valley of the Cyclops, which just came out on Austin's Monofonus Press Records. Pick it up ASAP and prepare to have your mind melted.

In the meantime, check out the band's new video for "Clones," in which Garcia ponders some of the same theoretical issues explored by Michael Keaton in the groundbreaking 1996 sci-fi thriller Multiplicity.

"Clones" was directed by Nick Smith, who previously directed the video for The Octopus Project's "Music is Happiness."

» Diagonals website
» Diagonals on MySpace

Silver Scooter @ SXSW 2009?

2009-02-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

Reunions can be so bittersweet. It's been a long time. What if doesn't work? What if the spark is gone? What if it's just... weird? Do you even want to dig up those feelings again? I mean, you're a different person now. You've grown. How could it be the same? And yet... won't you always wonder? Maybe you could just go — no strings attached — and just see how it goes. You know, just enjoy the moment. It could be nice. Maybe you've both changed for the better. It could be good... It could be amazing.

In the late-'90s, Silver Scooter provided us with the songs that made us feel better when we were feeling bitter — a soundtrack filled with melody and melancholy for those lonely nights when regret set in at 10 p.m. on a Saturday night. All things must pass, though, and Silver Scooter said "Goodbye" eight years ago, when singer/guitarist Scott Garred sang, "I want to live in another town, uh-huh," and moved to Portland.

Next month, however, you'll have an opportunity to reminisce about the old-time slugs in a dirty little bar in downtown Austin, because the fine folks at Slip Productions and Lovitt Records have managed to talk the boys of Silver Scooter into getting the band back together for a one-off show during SXSW. On Saturday, March 21st, Slip + Lovitt will be throwing a day party with 17 bands on both stages of Transmission Entertainment's new venue, The Radio Room. Silver Scooter goes on at 2:45 p.m. on the big stage, but the club is sure to fill up fast, so come early.

This is not an official SXSW event, so SXSW badges are not required for entry and will not get you any special privileges. There will be a suggested donation of $10 at the door. If you want to be on the paid reserve list, you can go ahead and send $10 to crcooper@usa.com via PayPal. Those who do will get a show poster and other goodies.

I think it's gonna feel good... like an old lover should.

» Slip Productions and Lovitt Records SXSW Party Details

The Octopus Project presents Visual Music

2009-02-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

The Octopus Project's appreciation for obscure musical instruments and vintage electronics is already well-known, but later this month the band will pay homage to the moving image with a very special show at the Alamo Drafthouse theater. On Wednesday, February 25th, The Octopus Project presents Visual Music, a unique, one-night-only multi-media performance featuring brand new original music set to film.

When The Alamo Drafthouse invited The Octopus Project to do something with film & music at the downtown theater space, the band members hand-picked a series of short films spanning all eras of the past 70 years — ranging from crazy, psychedelic color explosions to quiet, sublime black and white animations — and then wrote original music to accompany the footage. The band will perform live while the films are projected onto the big screen. There will be two shows (7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.), but seating is limited, so don't wait to buy your tickets! Check the Alamo Drafthouse website for details.

» But Tickets to Visual Music

Super XX Man Tiny Desk Concert on NPR Music

2009-02-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

On a recent tour through the northeast, Scott Garred (aka Super XX Man) was invited to stop by the NPR offices in Washington DC and perform a Tiny Desk Concert at the request of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. The concert, available as streaming video on the NPR website and as a higher quality podcast via iTunes, features Scott giving an intimate accoustic performance of three songs, including two from the well-received recent album Volume XII: There'll Be Diamonds and one from 2003's Volume VI: Collecting Rocks. Boilen had previously reviewed Super XX Man's Volume X album on All Songs Considered back in 2006.

In other Super XX Man news, Scott recently discovered the master tapes from what became the Volume III EP, originally released on vinyl in 1997. While the EP only held six tracks due to the limitations of the 7" format, Garred had recorded more than 12 songs for Volume III and will be giving the tracks some special attention for a digital re-issue of the collection coming soon.

» Super XX Man Tiny Desk Concert
» Super XX Man official website
» Tender Loving Empire

Pitchfork premieres new Octopus Project video "I Saw The Bright Shinies"

2008-10-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Octopus Project's latest video, an animated short for the track "I Saw The Bright Shinies," premiered today on Pitchfork. This new video is the work of Austin freelance illustrator and animator Divya Srinivasan and depicts three sleepy ghost kids following a heterochromic fox through a snowy twilight. When the group discovers an impromptu critter disco in a forest clearing, the spirits and strays dance in harmony until a cranky babushka bemoans the noise and breaks up the party. Thus, the spectral youths return to the astral plane... but not without a final farewell to their new found animal friends.

"I Saw The Bright Shinies" is The Octopus Project's third video from the album Hello, Avalanche. Of the previous two, "Truck" has received over 400,000 views on YouTube, while "An Evening with Rthrtha" has received awards from such prestigious graphics publications as Stash and IDM.

Divya Srinivasan has previously created animated videos for Spoon ("Everything Hits at Once"), They Might Be Giants, The Sundance Channel and Wonder Showzen, and worked on Richard Linklater's Waking Life feature film. Divya's illustration portfolio includes numerous pieces for the New Yorker magazine, as well as the album artwork for Sufjan Stevens' Illinois and This American Life's Stories of Hope and Fear collection. You can see more of Divya's work in her portfolio.

The Octopus Project kicks off yet another tour this weekend on a string of dates up the east coast and into Canada. After several appearances at the CMJ Music Festival, the band will eventually make its way home for a date at Austin's Fun Fun Fun Festival in November.

» "I Saw The Bright Shinies" official video site
» "I Saw The Bright Shinies" Pitchfork coverage
» Stream The Octopus Project Hello, Avalanche

Peel releases video for "August Exhaust Pipes"

2008-09-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Peel has posted a video for the title track off the band's recent self-released August Exhaust Pipes EP. Like the EP, the video was made by the band in DIY fashion using a variety of digital cameras and captures the blissful, carefree feeling of a lackadaisical Austin summer. Footage of a random smalltown Texas carnival is interspersed with shots of the band knocking around the neighborhood. Gentle vibes propel the tranquil track, which Austin Sound described as "a beautiful song, even more so given the bizarre and somewhat disturbing lyrics and the gorgeously chiming guitar." The inexplicable angel's wings only add to the mystery.

Daytrotter features live studio recordings of The Octopus Project

2008-08-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

The Octopus Project was recently featured on Daytrotter, the popular website that features original live studio recordings by underground artists every week, kind of like the Peel Sessions of the Internet. The Daytrotter team was in Austin for SXSW 2008, where they recorded The Octopus Project performing three tracks from Hello, Avalanche plus "Wet Gold" from the band's Too Pure single. Download all four tracks from Daytrotter.

» The Octopus Project on Daytrotter

Pitchfork hosts premiere of new Octopus Project video

2008-08-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

A new video for The Octopus Project's "An Evening with Rthrtha" premiered today on Pitchfork.tv. The "Rthrtha" video is the second collaboration between long-time friends Phillip Niemeyer of the Brooklyn design studio Double Triple and San Francisco-based filmmaker Ryan Junell, following their hand-animated stop-motion video for Spoon's "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb," released earlier this year. For "Rthrtha," Niemeyer & Junell used a similar stop-motion animation approach to depict a magical night with the extra-dimensional spirit agents of Rthrtha. Brilliant colors and graphic images move in breakneck stop-motion, illustrating a mind-blowing evening with an ancient psychedelic pink bat, who takes the viewer on a transcendent journey from the hazy Austin twilight into a sub-atomic singularity with the cosmos.

Niemeyer described the project as a sort of DIY cell animation. The two employed a variety of animation techniques, often discovering what they could do only as it was done. They photocopied images onto office quality transparencies, layering them with a light table and a set of overhead projectors. They silkscreened color fields, adding ink with each print to create motion-gradations. They animated the light fluctuations of the double fluorescent tubes that hang above their main work table. With the assistance of Double Triple partner Dana McClure, they animated blown ink and paint seen through a macro lens. "We used over 5,000 still pictures, often layered over each other at variable rates of speed," said Niemeyer. "Our frame rates are so quick I'm not sure it still counts as stop motion."

"Rthrtha" is The Octopus Project's second video from the new album, Hello, Avalanche. The previous Zellner Brothers-directed video for "Truck" has already amassed nearly 400,000 views on YouTube, and the band's loyal fans have responded with fan-created videos that have begun to populate the site. Here are a few favorites:

» "I Saw The Bright Shinies"
» "Moon Boil"
» "Queen"
» "Malaria Codes"
» "Wet Gold"
» "Truck"
» "Helium Tea" (with Black Moth Super Rainbow)
» "Copying Soup Onto Sexy Birdy" (with BMSR)
» "Black Blizzard Red Umbrella"

The Octopus Project kicks off yet another tour this weekend at Lollapalooza in Chicago and will embark on a month of dates along the west coast with fellow Austinites The Diagonals (featuring Black Lipstick's Steve Garcia) before returning home for an appearance at the Austin City Limits festival in September (tour dates).

» "An Evening with Rthrtha" official video site
» "An Evening with Rthrtha" Pitchfork coverage
» Stream The Octopus Project Hello, Avalanche

Peel self-releases new August Exhaust Pipes EP

2008-08-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

Peel recently completed a new collection of songs called August Exhaust Pipes. The drunken country swagger of "Selling Shadows" and driving raucous shuffle of "Famous Noises" extend the energetic, fuzzy sounds introduced on the band's eponymous album, which Magnet Magazine described as a "beautiful mess of a debut," while the cool tranquility of "Trenchula" and "Exhaust Pipes" shows the band stretching its legs a little. As its title might infer, this five-song EP makes the perfect soundtrack for enduring the sweaty traffic on a blazing hot Austin afternoon and making your way out to a nearby swimming hole to chill out with a cooler full of beer. True to the band's DIY nature, the EP was self-recorded, self-produced and self-released in extremely limited copies and distributed only at shows. In fact, the CDs may already be sold out, but the band has also posted the MP3s for anyone to stream or download.

» Stream Peel "August Exhaust Pipes" EP
» Stream Peel's self-titled album

New Spoon video: You Got Yr Cherry Bomb

2008-03-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

Spoon has just released an incredible new video for "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb," arguably the best track off Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. If the visual style looks familiar, you recognize the work of former Black Lipstick singer/guitarist Phillip Niemeyer, who co-directed and animated the video along with digital media artist Ryan Junell.

Phillip has been a Peek-A-Boo artist in more ways than one for many years. In addition to performing with Black Lipstick, The Kiss Offs & Teen Titans, he's designed many posters and album covers, including these:

Phillip is now a designer in New York and makes up 1/3 of the Brooklyn-based design studio Double Triple, while Ryan Junell is a media director and digital artist extraordinaire living in San Francisco.

» You Got Yr Cherry Bomb video

The Octopus Project at the 2007 Austin Music Awards

2008-03-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Octopus Project had another good showing at the Austin Music Awards last night. Yvonne won Best Miscellaneous Instrument for the second year in a row, and the band placed in eight total categories.

#9 Best Band of the Year
#2 Best Instrumental Band
#2 Best Experimental Band
#4 Best Indie Band
#1 Best Austin Musician - Misc. Instrument, Theremin (Yvonne Lambert)
#2 Best Austin Musician - Keyboards (Yvonne Lambert)
#4 Best Austin Musician - Bass (Josh Lambert)
#6 Best Austin Musician - Drums/Percussion (Toto Miranda)

Peek-A-Boo Records SXSW 2008 Events

2008-03-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

SXSW 2008 is underway, and a full list of SXSW appearances by The Octopus Project and Peel can be found on the Peek-A-Boo Records tour dates page, but here are a few highlights:

eMusic SXSW Showcase
Wednesday, March 12 @ Maggie Mae's
1 am - Bon Iver
12 am - Frightened Rabbit
11 pm - Peel
10 pm - Delorean
9 pm - Hysterics
8 pm - Day For Night

Kork Agency SXSW Showcase
Thursday, March 13 @ Emo's
1 am - The Octopus Project
12 am - Islands
11 pm - Dandi Wind
10 pm - Gil Mantera's Party Dream
9 pm - Howlin Rain
8 pm - Jens Lekman

Porchlight Pop Fest 2008 (poster)
Saturday, March 15 @ Salvage Vanguard Theater
2803 Manor Road (Map)
Free entry, free beverages, all ages!

12 pm - David Karsten Daniels
1 pm - Zykos
2 pm - Peel
3 pm - Headlights
4 pm - Joan of Arc
5 pm - The Little Ones
6 pm - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
7 pm - Zookeeper
10 pm - Diagonals (Steve Garcia from Black Lipstick!)
11 pm - Foreign Islands
12 am - List Christee (Kevin Barnes from Of Montreal)
1 am - Gerard Cosloy (Matador Records)(DJ Set)
2 am - The Octopus Project

The Octopus Project to play All Tomorrow's Parties 2008

2008-02-11T09:20:00.000-08:00

On the heels of the announcement of The Octopus Project's first UK release, we are extremely excited to announce that the band has been invited to play the 2008 All Tomorrow's Parties Festival, currated by fellow Texans Explosions in the Sky. The weekend of May 16-18, The Octopus Project will join Explosions, Dinosaur Jr., Broken Social Scene, Animal Collective, Iron & Wine, Four Tet, Silver Jews and many others in the resort town of Minehead, UK, to perform for the thousands of fans that flock to this festival from all over Europe every year. Additional European dates will be announced soon.

» All Tomorrow's Parties Festival

New Octopus Project single on Too Pure

2008-01-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

Pitchfork beat us to the scoop in announcing that UK label Too Pure will be releasing an Octopus Project 7" in March as a part of the label's new singles club. Too Pure, you might recall, is the label that first brought us Stereolab in the early '90s, and has since continued to issue music by such top notch artists as Electrelane, Seefeel, Scout Niblett and many others.

The Octopus Project 7" features two new songs, "Wet Gold" and "Moon Boil," recorded by the band and mastered at Abbey Road in London. The band describes the A-side as "a lovely jaunt through an arpeggiated land of goodness," and the B-side as "the most 'total rock' song we've ever done."

The pressing will be limited to 500 copies and only available via subscription to the Too Pure Singles Club, although the songs will also be made available for download on iTunes at some point.

» Too Pure Singles Club

New Octopus Project album is editor's pick in Rolling Stone

2007-11-29T20:42:00.000-08:00

Last year Rolling Stone's senior music editor, David Fricke, named The Octopus Project one of five bands to watch out of thousands that performed at the 2006 SXSW music festival. That was pretty cool. But it still came as quite a surprise when the recent November 29th issue hit stands with another glowing review, this time praising the band's new full-length release, Hello, Avalanche. In the lead review in the editor's column "Fricke's Picks," Mr. Fricke described the band as, "smart pop scientists and total party animals, like Stereolab with happy feet," and went on to say the album was "tightly composed bundles of synthesized whoop and circus-calliope cheer." That was pretty cool, too.

» Read the Rolling Stone review

SPIN posts exclusive premiere of new Octopus Project video

2007-10-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

SPIN.com has posted the exclusive premiere of The Octopus Project's new video, "Truck," the first from the new album Hello, Avalanche. Directed by Austin filmmakers The Zellner Brothers, the video combines fast-motion aeronautics and hand-illustrated characters to provide a peek into The Octopus Project's unique fantasy world. The Zellner Brothers had previously used The Octopus Project's music to score a short film called "Flotsam/Jetsam."

» The Octopus Project "Truck" video on SPIN.com

Peek-A-Boo Records moving sale!

2007-10-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

Peek-A-Boo Records has been supporting independent music in Austin for over twelve years with the mission of bringing national and international attention to Texas artists. Now that Town Lake has a monument to Stevie Ray Vaughan, the city has been decorated with "art guitars," Spoon has performed on Saturday Night Live and Austin is finally reknown globally as the "Live Music Capital of the World," we feel our job here is done. It's time for us to move on and bring aid to another struggling music scene. For that reason, Peek-A-Boo HQ will be relocating to Los Angeles at the end of the month.

We've heard some great things about this emerging desert town located just West of Phoenix where I-10 meets the Pacific Coast, and our A&R scouts have already signed several of LA's hottest underground bands. We are very excited about the 2008 Peek-A-Boo roster, so keep your ears peeled as we introduce artists such as Juliette and the Licks, Modern West, The Sharks, The Bacon Brothers, 30 Seconds to Mars and The Bruce Willis Blues Band.

Meanwhile, hauling extra boxes of older titles across the country is both a physical and financial burden. To help lighten the load, we've placed most of the label's back-catalog on sale at clearance prices until October 31st. Enjoy!

» Start shopping

The Octopus Project "Hello, Avalanche" now available on iTunes

2007-09-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Octopus Project's third proper studio album, Hello, Avalanche, is now available on iTunes, three weeks in advance of the official October 16th release date. The band is currently midway through a massive, three-month tour, so opportunities to see the band perform the new material abound. The L.A. Record recently went on record after an L.A. appearance, saying the "experimental band sent sensational energy pulsating through the crowd," and The Octopus Project has certainly risen to the challenge of capturing that energy and creativity in the studio. From gentle vibes and heavenly Theremin choirs to jaunty basslines and electro-static glitch-grooves to a wailing din of dying guitars and break-neck percussion, Hello, Avalanche is indeed a welcome disaster, an enchanting sonic cataclysm.

» Download Hello, Avalanche from iTunes
» Pre-Order the LP
» Pre-Order the CD

PunkCast posts footage of Peel performing in NYC

2007-08-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

The NYC-based video blog PunkCast recently posted footage from one of Peel's two shows in NYC earlier this summer. Blog currator, amateur punk archivist and NYC indie scene fixture Joly MacFie captured footage of the band performing album track "Bells," new song "Oskaloosa" and 13th Floor Elevators cover "You're Gonna Miss Me" at Piano's in June, and posted them to the taste-making website he's been operating obsessively since 1997.

» Watch Peel on PunkCast