Black Foliage: Animation Music Anyone heard the 2nd album by the OTC? Definitly the most psychedelic (in the 60's sense of the word, not just the "ya gotta hear this shit high, man" kind, but it could fit in that category too) album I've heard, which is saying something considering the obsession I've had with psychedelic rock in the past. Black Foliage is largely considered the 2nd best album to come out of the Elephant 6 collective (though that's subjective, of course) the absolute best being In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel, which happens to be my favorite album of the 90´s and my favorite indie rock album in general, unless you would go so far as to consider White Light/White Heat indie rock. But enough about NMH, back to OTC... If you're a fan of 60's psychedelic/art pop you must check this out. I mean, you must... make it the next album on your list. Or at least go on Amazon and listen to clips to get an idea of it. It's obvious that Olivia Tremor Control totally worship the Beatles and Beach Boys, but that only makes up about half of their sound. Writing them off as a retro pop band would be completely incorrect. Listening to them, you can hear strong Krautrock influences, as well as avant-garde alternative stuff like Sonic Youth, plus free jazz and endless sound collages. Sure, the album is composed of pop songs but not one is conventional. Surrealist lyrics sung in Beach Boys harmonies over a cathcy but severely twisted melody, electronically encoded feedback-drenched guitars panning from one speaker to the other, endless effects and sounds (but the sounds don't sound cluttered, even when you have a collage right in the middle of a tune it always works perfectly in the context). If you still can´t quite get the idea, imagine John Lennon in I Am The Walrus Mode and Brian Wilson in Good Vibrations mode directing Can or Neu! and you'll have a good idea of how they sound.
Poor baby... only 7 people viewed your thread and it's been there forever. You used to be one of the most popular posters of the Music forums, years ago... heh. Really, I can't believe this, OTC rock! And that album is a total masterpiece, any fan of psychedelia who doesn't know it should be spit at.
OK I was being mean to people. I'm sorry, they're really unknown, it's not your fault guys. But seriously check em out!
I haven't heard that one, but I like the other stuff I've heard....I wish I would have gone to see them one night years ago, but I didn't.
The other album "Dusk at Cubist Castle" is a 90's psychedelic masterpiece IMHO. Also worth checking out are another Elephant 6 band, Apples In Stereo whose "Her Wallpaper Reverie" album has some great classic psych/Beach Boys and Beatles inspired moments, also reminds me a bit of the first half of Todd Rudgren's crazy but brilliant A Wizard A True Star album from 1973.
Yes, I agree Dusk At Cubist Castle is brilliant. I guess it's just as good Black Foliage, but both albums are almost like worlds unto themselves. I find Black Foliage to be more dense, though, which is why it hardly makes sense as a whole the first times you hear it. I actually really liked what I've heard of Her Wallpaper Reverie, it's probably the weirdest thing the Apples In Stereo have ever done. Most of their stuff I've heard I liked, even if they generally don't come off as bizarre or expirimental as Olivia Tremor Control or Neutral Milk Hotel (or The Music Tapes, lol). Another great, relatively new Elephant 6 group is Circulatory System.
lots of people tell me I should check out Neutral Milk Hotel, still yet too though, out of all the Elephant 6 bands, NMH are the ones I always seem to see discussed most in music forums, i'm probably missing out on something good then
