On April 30, 2006, the band played the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. They were offered the opportunity after a fan, unbeknownst to the band, entered them in a contest held by the festival on MySpace in which voters were to "nominate their favorite band for an open slot at the festival".
All members are known to switch instruments live (for instance, Josh Lambert playing drums while Toto Miranda plays guitar, or Yvonne Lambert playing guitar while Josh Lambert operates the electronics), but each member can be said to play a primary instrument.
Yvonne Lambert is one of the few modern rock musicians to consistently play the theremin on recordings and in performances. The instrument appears on many of the band's tracks. The theremin is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928. The controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas which sense the position of the player's hands and control oscillators for frequency with one hand, and amplitude (volume) with the other, so it can be played without being touched. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker.
Josh Lambert: guitar, bass, keyboards
Toto Miranda: drums, guitar, bass
Yvonne Lambert: samplers, keyboards, theremin, glockenspiel, guitar
Ryan Figg: guitar, bass, keyboards
Octopus Project toured with Explosions in the Sky in 2011 for US venues.
The Falls
The Octopus Project Lyrics
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Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
I chop in aside away to call you (?)
You, you're away and run away to hide it all
We, we're ride and call away (?)
I, I like and hope it all away, it's all I know
The Falls by The Octopus Project begins with a repetitive and soothing set of ah's that sets the tone for the rest of the song. While there isn't a clear narrative in the song, the lyrics suggest a sense of longing and escape. The first line, "I chop in aside away to call you," perhaps refers to an attempt to reach out to someone but finding it difficult to articulate their feelings. The following lines, "You, you're away and run away to hide it all" suggest that the person they are trying to connect with may be avoiding them or has already left.
The next lines, "We, we're ride and call away / I, I like and hope it all away, it's all I know" hint at the singer's desire to escape and find some sort of solace in their thoughts. The repetition of "away" suggests a pattern of avoidance or escapism. In this sense, the falls in the song's title could be a metaphor for the singer's attempt to escape and find peace in the midst of chaos.
Overall, The Falls is a dreamy and introspective song that explores the themes of escape, longing, and finding peace amidst chaos. The repetitive and soothing melody along with the enigmatic lyrics allows listeners to interpret the song in their own way.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Introduces the song with vocalizations that have no specific lyrics, but are meant to set the tone and mood.
I chop in aside away to call you (?)
The singer attempts to reach out to someone important, but struggles to find the right way to communicate with them.
You, you're away and run away to hide it all
The person the singer is trying to contact is avoiding them and trying to keep something hidden from them.
We, we're ride and call away (?)
The artist and the person they're trying to reach are both distant from each other and struggling to connect.
I, I like and hope it all away, it's all I know
The artist copes with the situation by holding onto hope and trying to find a way to make things work, even though they're unsure of what to do next.
Contributed by Brody R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.