Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One

Last updated
Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One
Olivia Tremor Control - Black Foliage.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 23, 1999
Recorded1995–1998
Genre
Length69:02
Label Flydaddy, Cloud
Producer Robert Schneider
The Olivia Tremor Control chronology
Explanation II: Instrumental Themes and Dream Sequences
(1998)
Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One
(1999)
Singles and Beyond
(2000)

Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One is the second studio album by the American indie rock band the Olivia Tremor Control, released in 1999 through Flydaddy Records. [2] It was re-released on vinyl in November 2011 through Chunklet. [3]

Contents

The album's tone consists primarily of psychedelic rock deeply layered with various field recordings and found sounds with analog tape manipulation, as well as several noise collage tracks ranging in length from four seconds to over eleven minutes. There are five Black Foliage: Animation songs, which all feature the same melodic motif explored in several different directions, intertwined with heavy sonic experimentation. The album is heavily inspired by 1960's pop artists like the Beatles and the Beach Boys, particularly their later psychedelic work like Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Pet Sounds , as well as the unreleased Smile . [4]

Background

In the liner notes of their debut album Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle , the Olivia Tremor Control asked their fans to send in tape recordings describing dreams they had, which are sampled in the album, most notably in "Combinations 2" and "Hilltop Procession (Momentum Gaining)". [5] This request is also repeated in the liner notes for Black Foliage. According to band member Will Cullen Hart, the Animation tracks are intended to evoke imagery of animations. [6]

Recording

According to the liner notes, Black Foliage was recorded on various 4 and 8 track tape between 1995 and 1998, with overdubs being recorded as the album was mixed over the course of 5 weeks in the summer of 1998 with producer Robert Schneider. [5] These liner notes also detail that the band collaborated with many fellow members of The Elephant 6 Recording Company collective, including Neutral Milk Hotel frontman Jeff Mangum, who sings backup vocals in the song "I Have Been Floated".

The album also made use of several eclectic and bizarre instruments, with Elf Power keyboardist Laura Carter reminiscing on the group using a "guitar organ". [1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 75/100 [7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
The A.V. Club A [9]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [10]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Melody Maker Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
NME 6/10 [13]
Pitchfork 9.4/10 [1]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Spin 7/10 [15]
The Village Voice B− [16]

On the review site Metacritic, Black Foliage earned a rating of 75 out of 100, indicating "generally positive reviews". [7] Writing for Pitchfork, Paul Thompson described it as "among the most satisfying psychedelic albums of any decade", going on to compare it to the Buddhist concept of Bardo. [1] Matt LeMay, a writer for the A.V. Club favorably described the Chunklet re-issues as "bringing [Black Foliage's] remarkable complexity into greater focus". [9]

Track listing

All songs written by the Olivia Tremor Control.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Opening"0:25
2."A Peculiar Noise Called "Train Director""3:02
3."Combinations"0:04
4."Hideaway"2:34
5."Black Foliage (Animation 1)"1:11
6."Combinations"0:14
7."The Sky Is a Harpsichord Canvas"0:04
8."A Sleepy Company"3:40
9."Grass Canons"3:21
Total length:14:39
Side two
No.TitleLength
10."A New Day"2:29
11."Combinations"0:15
12."Black Foliage (Animation 2)"1:23
13."I Have Been Floated"3:39
14."Paranormal Echoes"3:30
15."Black Foliage (Animation 3)"0:44
16."A Place We Have Been To"2:25
Total length:14:29
Side three
No.TitleLength
17."Black Foliage (Itself)"2:54
18."The Sylvan Screen"6:07
19."The Bark and Below It"11:24
20."Black Foliage (Animation 4)"1:36
Total length:22:04
Side four
No.TitleLength
21."California Demise 3"2:46
22."Looking for Quiet Seeds"3:13
23."Combinations"0:11
24."Mystery"3:25
25."Another Set of Bees in the Museum"3:07
26."Black Foliage (Animation 5)"2:08
27."Hilltop Procession (Momentum Gaining)"3:21
Total length:18:15

Note: Track 21, "California Demise, Pt. 3" contains a small skip. The flaw was noticed during playback of the master recording in the studio, and the band decided to leave it in since it was a semi-ironic flaw, as it occurs on the lyric, "already". [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elephant 6</span> American musical collective

The Elephant 6 Recording Company is a loosely defined musical collective from the United States. Notable bands associated with the collective include the Apples in Stereo, Beulah, Circulatory System, Elf Power, the Minders, Neutral Milk Hotel, of Montreal, and the Olivia Tremor Control. Although bands in Elephant 6 explore many different genres, they have a shared interest in psychedelic pop of the 1960s, with particular influence from bands such as the Beach Boys, the Beatles, and the Zombies. Their music sometimes features intentionally low fidelity production and experimental recording techniques.

Tall Dwarfs are a New Zealand rock band formed in 1981 by Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate, who helped pioneer the lo-fi style of rock music. The duo were former members of Toy Love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Olivia Tremor Control</span> American rock band

The Olivia Tremor Control is an American psychedelic band from Athens, Georgia. The band's main line-up consists of Will Cullen Hart, Bill Doss, Eric Harris, John Fernandes, and Peter Erchick. The Olivia Tremor Control's music combines indie rock and neo-psychedelia, taking influence from psychedelic pop bands of the 1960s, such as the Beach Boys and the Beatles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Schneider</span> American musician

Robert Peter Schneider is an American musician and mathematician. He is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer of rock/pop band the Apples in Stereo and has produced and performed on albums by Neutral Milk Hotel, the Olivia Tremor Control and a number of other psychedelic and indie rock bands. Schneider co-founded The Elephant 6 Recording Company in 1992. He received a PhD in mathematics from Emory University in 2018. As of September 2022, he is an Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Michigan Technological University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Doss</span> American musician (1968–2012)

Bill Doss was an American rock musician. He co-founded The Elephant 6 Recording Company in Athens, Georgia and was a key member of The Olivia Tremor Control. Following the band's breakup, he led The Sunshine Fix and later became a member of The Apples in Stereo. Doss was married to freelance photographer Amy Hairston Doss, whom he met while both were attending Louisiana Tech University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circulatory System (band)</span> American psychedelic rock band

Circulatory System is a psychedelic rock musical ensemble formed by musician/painter Will Cullen Hart, and featuring Derek Almstead, Suzanne Allison, Peter Erchick, John Fernandes, Charlie Johnston, and Heather McIntosh.

<i>Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle</i> 1996 studio album by the Olivia Tremor Control

Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle is the debut studio album by the American band the Olivia Tremor Control, released on August 6, 1996, by Flydaddy Records. It is an eclectic album that encompasses a variety of genres, including indie pop, neo-psychedelia, and psychedelic pop. The first half of the album features songs that are influenced by bands of 1960s and 1970s, such as the Beach Boys and the Beatles. The second half features more experimental songs, including two long instrumental songs influenced by drone music and musique concrète. Dusk at Cubist Castle purports to be the soundtrack to an unfinished film, and the lyrics focus on surrealist imagery.

<i>Circulatory System</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Circulatory System

Circulatory System is the first album by the American music ensemble Circulatory System. It was released on August 28, 2001, on musician John Fernandes' Cloud Recordings label.

Black Swan Network is a musical side project of The Olivia Tremor Control. With contributions from Neutral Milk Hotel members Jeff Mangum and Julian Koster, as well as individual contributions from J. Kirk Pleasant of Calvin, Don't Jump! and fablefactory's Roxanne Martin, it was intended to be an experimental project in ambient music. After their releases, the band members became busier with their other projects, and Black Swan Network appears to be on permanent hiatus.

Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't is a project of The Olivia Tremor Control keyboardist Peter Erchick. Conceived in the early 1990s, their first album was not released until July 2001. The band's name may be from a chapter in a children's encyclopedia. When the members of the Olivia Tremor Control split into their various projects following the release of their Black Foliage album, Erchick submitted a track to a Jandek tribute compilation under this name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spin the Black Circle</span> 1994 single by Pearl Jam

"Spin the Black Circle" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, released on November 8, 1994, as the first single from the band's third studio album, Vitalogy (1994). Although credited to all members of Pearl Jam, it features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music primarily written by guitarist Stone Gossard. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. It additionally charted at number 10 in the UK Singles Chart, giving them their only top-10 hit in that country. The song was later included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest-hits album, rearviewmirror .

<i>Explanation II: Instrumental Themes and Dream Sequences</i> 1998 studio album by the Olivia Tremor Control

Explanation II: Instrumental Themes and Dream Sequences is an album by American indie rock band the Olivia Tremor Control, initially released as a bonus CD with the first few thousand copies of their 1996 debut album Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle. It consists of nine tracks of ambient sounds, recorded by The Olivia Tremor Control, and it has been claimed that the album will produce quadraphonic sound when played in synchronicity with Dusk at Cubist Castle. Explanation II was later re-released on its own by Flydaddy Records in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Fernandes</span> American multi-instrumentalist musician

John Kiran Fernandes is an American multi-instrumentalist musician.

<i>The Olivia Tremor Control / Black Swan Network</i> 1997 studio album by The Olivia Tremor Control/The Black Swan Network

The Olivia Tremor Control/The Black Swan Network is an LP released by The Olivia Tremor Control. Within some of these tracks are extracts from The Black Swan Network's dream appeal — taped audio contributions from fans of dreams they've had or would like to have. Also known as the Tour EP or Olivia Tremor Control Vs. Black Swan Network, Flydaddy labelled the record without the band's permission. The band have always called it "Color Squares.

<i>Singles and Beyond</i> 2000 compilation album by the Olivia Tremor Control

Singles and Beyond is a compilation album by American indie rock band the Olivia Tremor Control, consisting of several rare or out-of-print tracks by the band.

Marking Time is an Australian television series.

The Pet Sounds Recording Studio was a recording studio located in Denver, Colorado, founded by Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo and Jim McIntyre of Von Hemmling. Many Elephant 6 albums have been recorded in the studio, including the critically acclaimed Neutral Milk Hotel album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. It was demolished in 1999; a high-rise condominium was subsequently erected on the site.

Calvin, Don't Jump! started as the solo recording project of J. Kirk Pleasant, a musician with extensive connections to the Elephant 6 Collective. Before moving to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he contributed to releases from bands like the Olivia Tremor Control, Black Swan Network, and Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't. His own albums have featured contributions from musicians like Scott Spillane, Jeremy Barnes, John D'Azzo, as well as Peter Erchick, Eric Harris, and John Fernandes.

Chunklet is a Georgia-based American humor and music magazine founded by Henry H. Owings in 1993.

<i>Smiling Pets</i> 1998 compilation album by various artists

Smiling Pets is a multi-artist tribute album consisting of experimental/alternative cover versions of Beach Boys songs from Pet Sounds (1966) and the never-finished Smile project. It was released exclusively in Japan by Sony Records in March 1998.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Thompson, Paul (November 17, 2011). "The Olivia Tremor Control: Black Foliage: Animation Music Vol. 1". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  2. "The Official Home of the Olivia Tremor Control". The Olivia Tremor Control . Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  3. "The Olivia Tremor Control "Black Foliage" 2xLP - Chunket". Chunklet. February 27, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  4. Duesner, Stephen (March 22, 2019). "Olivia Tremor Control's "Black Foliage: Animation Music" Turns 20". Stereogum . Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Discography". The Olivia Tremor Control . Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  6. Devenish, Colin (December 9, 1998). "Olivia Tremor Control Get Animated For New LP". MTV. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Reviews for Black Foliage: Animation Music by The Olivia Tremor Control". Metacritic . Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  8. Ankeny, Jason. "Black Foliage: Animation Music, Vol. 1 – The Olivia Tremor Control". AllMusic . Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  9. 1 2 LeMay, Matt (November 15, 2011). "The Olivia Tremor Control: Music From The Unrealized Film Script / Dusk At Cubist Castle / Black Foliage: Animation Music, Vol. 1". The A.V. Club . Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  10. Hermes, Will (March 26, 1999). "Black Foliage: Animation Music by The Olivia Tremor Control". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  11. Cox, Tom (May 7, 1999). "The Olivia Tremor Control: Black Foliage (V2)". The Guardian .
  12. "The Olivia Tremor Control: Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One". Melody Maker : 36. April 3, 1999.
  13. Long, April (April 8, 1999). "The Olivia Tremor Control – Black Foliage". NME . Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  14. Kot, Greg (March 18, 1999). "Olivia Tremor Control: Black Foliage: Animation Music by the Olivia Tremor Control". Rolling Stone . No. 808. Archived from the original on September 7, 2001. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  15. Weingarten, Marc (April 1999). "The Olivia Tremor Control: Black Foliage: Animation Music by the Olivia Tremor Control". Spin . 15 (4): 164–66. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  16. Christgau, Robert (November 30, 1999). "Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice . Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  17. "Owh联盟外投".