Rockfreaks.net

Summon The Octopi

Nonversations EP

Written by: LF on 30/11/2014 19:45:25

From the buzzing city of Berlin we have a new one-man band called Summon The Octopi. The man behind the mysterious name is Marc Vogler and "Nonversations" is his debut EP that covers some interesting ground in the mesmerizing post-rock compositions it offers in its 19 minutes. As this is a one-man band, you can maybe guess that Vogler is the one playing every instrument recorded here, and while I'm always impressed by that kind of musical talent, Vogler's multi-instrumental skills might not be quite enough for the EP to stand out all that much in the bigger picture.

The EP is divided into six tracks that span both shorter and longer compositions of equal intricacy. Think post-rock with lots and lots of layered little riffs that twist and turn their way through the songs, with a certain progressive tendency here and there and a very heavy ending. Most of these elements are all hinted in the intro track of the EP that evolves smoothly into "Slobodan the Sloth". While I adore all the various expressions this song covers in its four minutes, going from a steady, relaxed groove to faster and more flickering before breaking into a deep and heavily distorted guitar riff towards the end, it's almost too eclectic in its very abrupt changes back and forth. Some of the other songs flow way better, most notably "Apricots Apricate (Alligators Alligate)" that slowly circles into existence while adding more and more layers of subtle guitar riffs, creating a very dreamy and echo-filled soundscape. The short and acoustic "Rehabosaurus Rex" is the only song to feature vocals and I must admit that I don't feel they add anything of particular value to the music that it wasn't fully capable of communicating to us on its own in the first place. It works as a soft and crisp interlude but the voice keeps pulling me back whenever I'm close to losing myself in the otherwise well-produced piece and that is quite a shame.

All in all, it feels to me like the EP is not quite as volatile as it could have been. Even as "Lulling Waves, Sullen Glaze (All Is Space)" pushes to a decidedly more metal, djent-infused style and ends the EP as the longest track expanding on the heavy, distorted riffs we heard earlier, the problem with most of the compositions is that they stand as curiosities rather than little worlds of their own. That being said, the song titles in addition to the slightly ominous band name itself help set the music in a twirling world that is inhabited by monsters you never quite see but feel are there when you're not looking. This musical world is definitely intriguing and all the different moods that Vogler sets sound beautiful, but with its mostly shorter compositions I wish the EP would flow a little better as a unit so that I could immerse myself more in the stories the music has to tell.

Download: Apricots Apricate (Alligators Alligate), Slobodan the Sloth
For The Fans Of: Explosions in the Sky, Maybeshewill, Giraffes? Giraffes!
Listen: facebook.com/SummonTheOctopi

Release date 17.11.2014
Sober Up Records