What happens when a man more closely aligned with metal goes the power-pop route? Stephen Brodsky’s Octave Museum answers that question and the result is more than satisfactory. Brodsky’s day job is as the leader of Cave In, but on this solo outing he’s joined by members of Scissorfight and Thee Electric Bastards. With a pedigree like that, you’d expect the album to thump, crash, and crush, right? Instead Brodsky’s combo bops around Duke of Stratosphear style psych-lite and bouncy rock tunes. The only hint Brodsky’s heavier edge bleeds through in the tone of some of the guitar lines, but for the most part this is a straight-ahead pop album.
Personally I dig the one-two punch of the opening tracks. They serve to set the scene for the remainder off the album succinctly as the hypnotic drone of “Voice Electric” gives way to the sunny shimmer of “Sentimental Case.” There are a few points of the album, particularly when Brodsky attempts acoustic balladry that things slow down. Even these speed bumps can’t dim the overall enjoyment of the disc though. Lots of dudes say that their influences range far and wide, but few can back it up with the stylistic diversity that Brodsky employs.