Best Album was going to be a shoe-in hands down unanimous vote for Octopus Project's "Hello, Avalanche" and while it is still the top contender, my other local fav Horse+Donkey dropped it's surprise self-titled debut album in a last minute shocker November show adding another difficult decision. While the H+D album is better than I could have ever imagined (since we've been waiting for it for years), the Octopus Project album is a non-stop spinner.
HELLO AVALANCHE is Octopus Projects 4th full length album. It comes only a year after their highly acclaimed collaborative release "House of Apples and Eyeballs" with Black Moth Super Rainbow. This trio has been going strong since day 1 (back in 1999) and continues to bring energy and smiles to every show it plays. I've seen them over 3 dozen times and its amazing how they continue to entertain me every single time; personally it's never gotten old. 2007 came with the addition of (another) brand new guitarist, Ryan Figg, who not only seems a perfect fit for the band, but it also one of the most skilled I've seen play with them. He brings a very "heavy" element to them. Kudos Octopus Project, you are now and may certainly always be one of my "Best of's".
My first encounter with Horse+Donkey was their very first show when they became a trio (guitarist Geno, whom I've never met but heard tons about left to return to El Paso.... why? i dunno). You could say it was love at first sound though. They've been tossing around "we're recording our album" for that long, and longer probably and were surrounded by rumors of being released on I Eat Records label. However, in a surprise and unannounced move, this November they SELF released a full-length album. Boy was it ever a surprise. It contains all my favorite live songs, and a few extra surprises. In its height of success though, comes dismal rumors of a band break. It all sounds like a VH1 behind the music in the making. Good Luck Horse+Donkey, you are as odd as you are talented and that is what makes you so fucking cool.
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