White Octave

On their debut, Chapel Hill's the White Octave do what so few bands have been able to do; they successfully fuse the urgency and vitality of punk rock with pop melodies and interesting arrangements to create a post punk masterpiece. Sounding at times like a cross between Superchunk and the Jesus Lizard, their guttural sound also recalls such innovators as At the Drive-In and Barkmarket. Producer/engineer and former Volcano Sun, Bob Weston does an expert job at the board in capturing the dirt and dirge of "Devise Executes" and "Crossing the Rubicon," as well as the surprisingly tender passages of "Call the Kiss" and "Appeals for Insertion."