**1/2 Octant

SHOCK-NO-PAR

(Up)

The computer-controlled, mechanically operated drum set that is central to Octant's existence may be a gimmick or an exercise in indulgent performance art, but it's also a functioning member of a band composed of inventor/programmer and songwriter/vocalist Matthew Steinke and vocalist/button pusher Tassany Zimmerman. The "automated acoustic" drums -- Steinke's creation -- would fit right in with the space suits and flickering B&W TV sets of Man . . . or Astroman?'s retro-futurist stage shtick. Although less frenetic and more melodic than the Astromen, Octant have the same penchant for melding the random and the outmoded. Instead of surf, however, Steinke pinches pop from the '60s and '80s, favoring concise, keyboard-driven tunes with the occasional extended experimental bridge. The songs seem to spoof Brit-pop and new wave, but taken uncynically they sound well-constructed and serious. Stiff, spare beats anchor hooky Moog bleats and stream-of-consciousness lyrics sung quietly in an affected English accent. The irony is earnest; Steinke, in search of musical maturity, incorporates the absurd. And once you've chuckled at the R2-D2 bleeps and the more-Damon-than-Damon-Albarn vocals of "Revert," the album's airy melodies and fanciful breaks will charm you.

-- Nick Catucci