Search - Olivia Tremor Control :: Olivia Tremor Control Vs.

The complainers

Aaron Rubinfeld | CA | 01/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I cannot even begin to express how much i disagree with the previous reviewers assumptions. All basically do to the fact that I have personally had dozens of people who knew nothing of the band listen to this album and they all responded in the exact same way, in absolute and utter amazement that humans actually created something like this.They were however in a state absent of internal diologue and especially not approaching it from some cheesy, analitical standpoint.Also the most obnoxious thing thats haunted me in my Olivia excersions is having to hear people constantly compare them with the Beatles,when all the two have in common is that they both have created extremeley magical and powerful mind altering music, the Olivia much more so even.Many just asses them or just disregard them by stereo typically commenting "this sounds too much like the Beatles", when there are barley any simularities.The Beatles have an influence on practically everyone after their time so just give up(The comparison made to Steve Reich i must add is equally as,if not even more absurd).So, if one were to abandon all their quasi intellectual comparisons they would hear the album for what it truly is, one of the most rewarding musical experiences theyll ever have.Perhaps not as mindblowing as the Late Music, the Tour e.p. still stands among the greats, and believe me, it must be approached correctly or one will miss out. Some of the people i showed it to didnt like it at first under different circumstances but eventually and suddenly it dawned on them like a divine light and they witnessed the mental reprogramming it is capable of.So for those unfortunates who just continue to complain about the album all I have to say is STOP THINKING, cause your just depriving yourself of energy, and a gift of absolute abundance. Out of the hundreds of experimental albums (or albums of any kind for that matter) iv'e experienced this remains one of the greats.Certain noises will dance on the dreamer if the sermo inteftinuf will rest."

Disappointing.

Peter Hans Herrmann (dupahz@nic.com | 02/07/1999

(1 out of 5 stars)

"A tour EP, and a generous one with a running time of over 40 minutes, a blessing or a curse depending on your threshold for challenging music. Sadly, there is nothing resembling a song on the EP, gone is the Beatlesque pop of "Cubist Castle". Instead the listener is assualted by a lo-fi sonic jumble of theremin, processed clarinet, violin and Casio VL Tone. The band has abandoned the soothing, backyard ambience of "Explanation" for dated avant garde posturing: electro-acoustic jams, Reich-influenced spoken word phase experiments and dully academic musique concrete compositions. The EP's brightest moments are reminiscent of Ralf and Florian's pre-Kraftwerk experimentalism, but there are simply not enough ideas to sustain anyone but the most indulgent of listeners. Recommended for only hard-core fans and completists."

"Experimental" is no insult

Aaron Rubinfeld | 01/26/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The music on this EP is defintely experimental, with band members approaching electronic performance art in a new, low-fi way. It's art, but thankfully, not Modern Art. This is experimental music that looks you in the eye. I thought the EP was successful and definitely plan to listen to it more. The EP is LP length, but, wisely, OTC's releasing it as an EP is their way of saying, "This is where are heads are at. This is what we're playing with. We think it's music, so far. What do you think?" I saw them 01/23/99 at East Atlanta's Echo Lounge, and they were good, fun to watch perform, and were definitely seemed devoted to their sound. This CD is worth owning-- and hearing."