Oktoba is the brainchild of Brighton-based singer-songwriter Chris Athorne.  His debut EP Tales and Shadows was positively received last year, so Athorne has wasted no time in assembling a good cast of supporting musicians for an album proper, enlisting the manifold talents of Tim Bidwell as producer and engineer.  Bidwell, best known for his work with fellow Brightonian Kate Walsh, clearly lavishes wagonfuls of care and attention on his subjects and, as a result, this release sounds fantastic.  There’s oodles of space and texture in the arrangements and it’s impeccably recorded and mixed, as you might expect.  All this really helps Oktoba stand out among the vast crowd of confessional male songsters vying for our attention.