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Aura Obelisk: seemingly clear case of the sophomore jinx. Had Octagrape planned this out better, they could have easily avoided it. Their semi-recent Major Mayor Maxion Marble EP was 32 minutes long and could have easily been album #2. Just four covers of Major Stars, Mayyors, Dymaxion, and Marble Sheep tunes, the MMMM ep was

generally well received, and in no small part because, let's face it...they

didn't have to write a single song. But sadly they slipped and billed it as an

EP.

Meaning the proper follow-up to 2013's Red UFO LP is now 2015's

floating and bloated Aura Obelisk. So your second album is a double

LP? Four gaping sides, eighteen of your own new songs and a cover

purportedly way up the list of Bands You Should Never Cover: Swell

Maps "Vertical Slum"? Decisions, boys.

Apparently late-2014/early-2015 was supposed to be the hunker-down

phase for the band following the near endless barrage of early years

touring. Otis "O" Bartholomew (original bass player) bid them

amicable adios last year mid-April after they showed very few real signs of

getting their act together. Ely Moyal (drummer on this album as well as

all other Octagrape releases to date, and Glen's fellow early-90s

Trumans Water alum) is now said to be leaving as well, kindly

questioning the wisdom of an entire East/North East summer tour that

originally formed itself around an opening slot for Complete (in Brooklyn

this August). Jinx smeared all over the surviving sophomores.

So who remains in grape-land, and what does Aura Obelisk have going for

it? Glen Galloway and Jason Begin (songwriting/mixing/mangling

brain-trust) are still mangling in full effect here, once again joined by the

beautifully-skinned Alexander Dausch (who also pummeled the low end

for all of Major Mayor EP). Although an infinitely famous new drummer is

no doubt soon to be announced, Ely definitely bowed out strong with

Aura. Production-wise, this record was split evenly between a quick trip

up to Sacramento early 2015 (to funnel their nine most road-snug

numbers through Chris Woodhouse's amplified ears)...and a more

deliberate several months in San Diego borrowing Ben Moore (in

between his recent stints of live Drive Like Jehu documentation). And,

one shining atypical fragment of a closer with Rafter Roberts.

The results are a blend of Octagrape's hottish live tune-deliverysyndrome

and curbed bursts of studio as (wounded)

instrument. Desperate stabs at blending the songwriting un-writing

lessons they appeared to learn on the covers EP with a forced step into

no/new/neu-wave embarrassments. Jinxed sophomores managing to

prune themselves into a number of unexpected shapes only to crush bits

of woolly nectar out of each. And all of it delivered with the utmost

urgent confidence that the rest of the listening universe needs to hear this

as badly as they need to unburden themselves of it...? We'll see. If they

still remain in one piece after Complete gets through with them, they can

crank all of our lucky stars.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a presale. The official release date for this album is January 22, 2016. All orders will ship to arrive around this date however on occasion there are release delays. If this happens all winning bidders will be notified.

Record Condition: This record is brand new and unplayed!

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