Grade: 90.5%Official Rating: 93.4%
What the Others Think
Pitchfork Score: 9.1
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: N/A
Coke Machine Glow Score: N/A
Ever wonder what might have happened if the Beatles kept making psychedelic rock records like Sgt. Peppers and Magical Mystery Tour instead of the often sloppy yet lovable self titled release, the straight up rock record that was Abbey Road, or the over-Spectorized mess that was Let It Be? If you haven't, its understandable, as many people thought and still consider Sgt. Peppers as the end-all-be-all of psychedelic pop in terms of song writing, production, and the recording technique, and with good reason. Considering the time in which Sgt. Peppers was released, it was nothing short of a revelation. It may not have changed the way bands wrote their songs, but it certainly made many of them think twice before they put them to tape.
Thankfully, the Olivia Tremor Control - whose alliance in the Athens, GA based Elephant Six Collective alone should be enough reason to suspect that this record would sound like any combination of Beatles, Barrett, or (Beach) Boys (or, as I often jokingly claim, the holy trinity of psych-pop) - were never satisfied with the precedents set before them. On their second album, Black Foliage: Music From an Unrealized Film Script, they not only match toe to toe with the best of psych-pop genre but, dare I say it, perfect it in their own right.
The original concept of the album, as described in the liner notes, was to "take a section of the guitar line from (the song) black foliage...and make a set of animated departures stemming from that bass guitar melody." Instead of actually making animations though (or at least ever releasing them) the band instead went to work on writing new material based on the original song, and the songs that stemmed from that song (sort of like the animations they had planned on). If I haven't lost you yet, basically the band wrote one song that influenced another, which influenced another, and so on. Not satisfied with just that, though, the band also takes elements and samples of songs and incorporate them into other songs. Hearing the same sample of noise, guitar, harpsichord, or voices of fans who had sent the tapes of them describing some random dream, in more than one song on the album is a normal occurrence, and the albums centerpiece, "The Bark and Below It", is essentially every sample, loop, or sound you might find place in various spots throughout the album.
The end result is nothing short of maniacal magic. To some it might be a little over the top, after all it is very rare on this album where a song, the actual song and not the samples and loops on top of it, stands alone. But for those who appreciate interesting production and a some creativity and a dose of ingenuity with their pop music, this album is essential. Songs like "Hideaway" and "California Demise" are pure pop bliss, while songs like "Sleepy Company" and "Black Foliage (Itself)" are a trip, the natural kind (though I could see how the other kind might be enhanced by these songs if they just so happened to be playing at the same time). My personal favorite song, "I Have Been Floated" is a wonderful, progressive-psych-pop masterpiece, on its own, but when complete with the masterful production it sounds rich and majestic. The song also features just about everyone in the Elephant 6 family, and fans of the collective will no doubt smile when they hear the singing saw or Jeff Mangum's very audible vocal cameo.
For fans of psych-pop, this album has everything. Dreamy lyrics, head spinning production, catchy choruses, fuzzy bass lines, and theramins (lots of them). For those who aren't so much a fan of the genre, this album stillhas everything. Make your collection complete with this modern masterpiece, or at least name drop it the next time a record store clerk tells you how essential Sgt. Peppers is.
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