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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Octopus
EMAILPRINTby The Bees [Band of Bees]
![The Bees [Band of Bees] reviews](/media/music/artists/bees/octopus/picture.jpg)
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 13 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 8 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Virgin
Release Date: 26 March 2007
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
The eclectic UK band self-produced this third album in their Isle of Wight studios.
Also By This Artist: Free The Bees Sunshine Hit Me
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Dot Music
Not sure what you'd file it under, but while that may worry some, for The Bees it's yet another triumph.
Read Full Review >Drowned In Sound
The Bees have made a record sparkling with enough wit and ingenuity to make the past seem an undiscovered country well worth visiting.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
On 'Octopus' The Bees find their groove and sound blissfully unaware whether anyone else is listening. You should, they've made their best album yet.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
This rampant eclecticism has drawn comparisons between the Bees and the now-defunct Beta Band, but the Beta Band was never this much fun.
Read Full Review >Spin
The product of a joyously short attention span. [Jul 2007, p.92]
Uncut
The Bees have a nose for sniffing out fine pop melodies. [Apr 2007, p.93]
Q Magazine
A mixed bag. [Apr 2007, p.117]
The Guardian
The Bees are clearly excellent musicians able to adopt styles at will, but have sacrificed their identity to offer an alternative to compilation albums at this summer's barbecues.
Read Full Review >Hot Press
Although combining an assortment of sounds may seem risky, they’ve managed to produce a solid album, fusing jazz, soul, ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll and playful lyrics into a tight 10 tracks.
Read Full Review >Mojo
A little too relaxed for its own good. [Apr 2007, p.108]
Playlouder
Staunch fans won't be disappointed, but it's hard to envisage new ears pricking up on hearing 'Octopus' woeful musings.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
juan z. gave it an8:
They made a step forward in my opinion, so cheers for that!!!
Thomsa B. gave it a10:
Genius songwriting with stellar vintage production. Hommages to all that is good in music. Best band in the UK.
Phillip Van Wagoner gave it a10:
While "Free the Bees" conjured images of a Beatles' reunion, 'Octopus' calls upon a wider variety of influences, and fits them all together beautifully. A solid '10', albeit to it's predecessor's '10.5'
Jack V gave it a4:
Compared to its predecessors, this album unfortunately has gotten rather boring.
Serj S gave it a10:
awesome
Les H gave it a9:
A wonderful CD full of irreverent borrowings, fused together in a wonderful pop offering that's right at the top of the tree, where the sweetest honey is. Hope the next CD comes real soon.
