The Octopus Project

Austin's favorite foursome, the Octopus Project, has had a busy few years. After the success of its independently released second album, 2005's One Ten Hundred Thousand Million, gave the four-piece a much-deserved nationwide buzz, the Project capitalized on its newfound fanfare with a set at California's Coachella and almost constant touring. The band's latest release, last year's Pitchfork-approved Hello, Avalanche!, continues to push its electronic space-rock beyond normal limits and has paid off in big-league press coverage and coveted spots at this year's Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival. Not bad for a husband/wife duo and their pals, and even better, three of the four Octopi are Bayou City natives. As anyone who has seen the Project live will attest, its shows — complete with balloons, pillowcase animals and Yvonne Lambert's eerily wonderful theremin — are never less than mesmerizing, guaranteed to put a big fat grin on the face of anyone smart enough to attend.