Artist Feature #5: The Olivia Tremor Control

thelitguy · 07-03-2005, 11:14 PM

The Olivia Tremor Control

Back in the early 90s grunge may have been the "hip" thing at the time, but in Ruston Louisiana there were some people with different musical tastes. Bill Doss, Will Cullen Hart, and Jeff Mangum were childhood friends who shared a great love for the music of the 60s, specifically the Beach Boys and the Beatles. The first band where these three members all played together was Cranberry Lifestyle, which began in 1991. After the demise of that project, Synthetic Flying Machine was created. After the breakup of this band, the three decided to work alone and created the moniker of the Olivia Tremor Control. Their first EP, California Demise, was recorded and self-released in 1994.The band also released a split EP with good friends the Apples in Stereo the same year.

Soon after the release of California Demise, Jeff Mangum left the band to focus on his solo project which he called Neutral Milk Hotel. John Fernandes (bass, violin, clarinet) joined the band in place of Mangum, and Eric Harris (drums, theremin, guitar) was also added. The band then released their second EP, Giant Day, in 1996. By this time, the band had been picked up by the newly created V2 Records imprint Flydaddy Records.

Their first full length release was Music From the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle, which Flydaddy released in 1996. The album consisted of 27 tracks that sounding like something straight out of 1967, ala the Beatles self titled album. Although the classics of the 60s show through, never does the album seem like a rip-off. It beautifully mixes the traditional stylings with modern soundscapes. The songs skip from folk influenced ballads to heavy rocking jams all the way to seemingly LSD inspired craziness. It features the song Green Typewriters (A song which shows all sides of the band through its seperated 10 parts). This was produced and partly recorded by Robert Schneider (the Apples in Stereo), and had contributions from Jeff Mangum and Julian Koster (the Music Tapes).

This album was released as a special edition 2 disc set. The first disc contained the album, while the second disc contained 9 ambient "dream sequences". Rumor has it that both are to be listened to at the same time to create an "aural masterpiece" of some sort. After the special editions were out of print, the second disc was released separately under the title Explanation II: Instrumental Themes and Dream Sequences.

The Opera House and Jumping Fences were the two songs which sprung two single LP releases. The Opera House (Also known as The Olivia Tremor Control Vs. the Black Swan Network) featured the song of the same name as well as 2 other songs, which were meant to all be played simultaneously to create a new track. Jumping Fences containted 3 other songs: Optical Atlas, The Language Of Stationary Travellers and Green Typewriters (Outer Themes And Explorations). Contributions for the new songs were made by Scott Spillane (The Gerbils) and Bryan Helium (Late B.P. Helium).

After Dusk at Cubist Castle, Peter Erchick (keyboards, formerly of the Gwens) joined the Olivia Tremor Control.

A 12 inch record release of a new song, Hideaway, which also featured two other new songs, was the precursor to their second full length, Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume 1.

Black Foliage was released by Flydaddy Records in 1999. The creation of the album could be traced back to 1995, even before the release of their first full length. The album contained a number of "combination" tracks wherein a bass line was taken from the title track, variations were made to its sound, and then the newly formed line was inserted into another song. The insertion of parts of songs into other songs did not stop at the "combination" tracks. Certain parts of songs float inward and outward of the main songs on the album, creating a sort of circular motion in musical form. The songs rarely strech over the 2 minute mark, excluding the tape manipulation pieces, and seem almost pointless when not listened to within the entirity of the album. The circular structure of Black Foliage shows the complexity of over 4 years of work, as well as the help from some of the biggest names in indie rock of the late 90s.Collaborators such as Neutral Milk Hotel, Music Tapes, The Gerbils, Calvin, Don't Jump!, the Apples in Stereo, Elf Power, Late B.P. Helium and Of Montreal are just a few of the names of artists who lent a hand in the creation of Black Foliage. By the end, a headphone masterpiece had been constructed which takes the listener through 71 minutes of psychadelic bliss.

After a very lengthy touring schedule in 1999, the members of the Olivia Tremor Control parted ways and began their own solo ventures. Will began work with a new band by the name of the Circulatory System, Pete worked on his solo project Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't, Bill recorded under the name Sunshine Fix, John co-founded a record label called Cloud Recordings with Will Hart, and Eric joined Elf Power.

In 2000, Emperor Norton Records released Singles and Beyond, a compliation of early and rare Olivia Tremor Control tracks. The full lengths went out of print in 2001, but have recently been remastered and re-released by Cloud Recordings. In the spring of 2004, the Olivia Tremor Control reunited for a small number of concerts throughout Georgia, the original hometown of the band (after moving from Ruston).

Although they only released two proper full length albums and a handful of EPs, the Olivia Tremor Control are considered by many to be one of the most important bands of the past decade. Their obsession with the pop music of the 60s helped to usher in the huge popularity of the Elephant Six Collective (of which the Olivia Tremor Control are a part of), as well as countless other retro recreations. If you are into 60s music, great pop songs, way-out-there-experimentation, or anything in between I would suggest checking out this band.

Discography:

Music From the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle

Songs to Check Out:
Jumping Fences
Green Typewriters (1-10)
NYC 25
I Can Smell the Leaves

Explanation II: Instrumental Themes and Dream Sequences

Opera House

Jumping Fences

Songs to Check Out:
Language of Stationary Travellers
Green Typewriters (Outer Themes and Explorations)

Hideaway

Black Foliage:Animation Music Volume 1

Songs to Check Out:
The Sylvan Screen
A Sleepy Company
I Have Been Floated
California Demise 3
Hilltop Procession Momentum Gaining

Singles and Beyond
(features California Demise, Great Day, etc.)

Songs to Check Out:
Love Athena
Today I Lost A Tooth
A Sunshine Fix
Collage #1
I'm Not Feeling Human
I Won This Dog At The Driftwood Reunion Carnival

**bread man** · 07-03-2005, 11:46 PM

hah. You = the bomb

Great, great FA, probably the best yet. OTC are an amazing band.

thelitguy · 07-03-2005, 11:59 PM

Quote:

OTC are an amazing band.

Indeed. I always found it amazing how there are so many people on these boards with great taste in music, yet had never heard of or listened to this band.

Of course, having all of their material out of print until early last year probably didn't help the cause much. Thanks to Ebay, a hole in the wall record store, and a surprising trip to the flea market (I found a sealed vinyl copy of Dusk at Cubist Castle, for $2 none the less), I found all of their material for a pretty cheap amount of money over the past 2 years.

**bread man** · 07-04-2005, 03:12 AM

It sucks when records go out of print, I know (I almost won a copy of Maudlin of The Well's "Bath" for about $10 on ebay, but then my house turned off). OTC are really unheard of, which is a bit unfair really.

Than · 07-04-2005, 01:21 PM

Excellent job, man. This is the first band in the Artist Features that I feel actually deserves to be featured, haha. One of least mentioned features of Olivia Tremor Control is the album art. Every album is brimming with amazing illustrations.