Will the future of the human race eventually come to man versus machine? It seems every hotshot Hollywood sci-fi writer prophesizes this. And, hey, after scientists recently unveiled robots capable of walking on varying terrain, I was a tad spooked. So how dangerous are machines in music? Are IDM sweethearts like the Postal Service and the Notwist in fact mankind's first casualties in this apocalyptic war? Okay, let's not kid ourselves, the stakes in music aren't high. Yet, throughout , the second full-length from Austin instrumental trio the Octopus Project, the ongoing tension between acoustic and electronic instruments is pervasive. Guitars strain to be heard over effects-laden keyboards, basslines desperately pulse before chunky synth-lines supplant them, and at the center of this struggle is percussionist Tito Miranda.