October Project

You want to call them pretentious, and I’ll say okay: the fruity contralto voice of lead singer Mary Fahl, the literary flourishes of Julie Flanders’ lyrics, the orchestral tendencies of the arrangements… yes, arguably it’s all a bit much. But Fahl wields that unusual voice with great taste, the melodies are consistently genuinely catchy, and the arrangements never get completely away with themselves. And when all of these emotionally intense elements are put to the service of sweetly romantic lyrics, the impact is powerful. This, the band’s debut album, is filled with genuine pleasures even if those who consider themselves edgy and punk-rock might experience a little bit of guilt with the pleasure. It’s hard to identify highlight tracks because every one of them is outstanding, and each in pretty much the same way.