Black Foliage : Animation Music, Vol.1

Mojo - "...transcends its lo-fi, home studio production with excellent editing, slow accretion...planned accident, and - the acid test for any psych group - convincing vocals..." Spin - 7 (out of 10) - "...the lyrics are loopily discursive...while the flat out gorgeous arrangements are straight outta [Sgt.] Pepperland..." CMJ - "...warm, lilting harmonies and fleeting pop melodies draw the listener in before the group shifts into a whimsical smatter of accordions, pianos and ghostly Theremin..." Melody Maker - 4 stars (out of 5) - "...don't run anywhere, because BLACK FOLIAGE is very good indeed..." Entertainment Weekly - "...It's a sonic wonderland, and the jump-cut delirium is transporting..." Rating B+" NME - "...OTC temper their excursions into avant-garde noisemaking with a loving propensity for melting harmonies and sunny pop..." Spin (4/99, pp.166-167) - 7 (out of 10) - "...the lyrics are loopily discursive...while the flat out gorgeous arrangements are straight outta [Sgt.] Pepperland..." Mojo (4/99, p.102) - "...transcends its lo-fi, home studio production with excellent editing, slow accretion...planned accident, and - the acid test for any psych group - convincing vocals..." NME (4/10/99, p.31) - "...OTC temper their excursions into avant-garde noisemaking with a loving propensity for melting harmonies and sunny pop..." Melody Maker (4/3/99, p.36) - 4 stars (out of 5) - "...don't run anywhere, because BLACK FOLIAGE is very good indeed..." CMJ (3/15/99, p.3) - "...warm, lilting harmonies and fleeting pop melodies draw the listener in before the group shifts into a whimsical smatter of accordions, pianos and ghostly Theremin..." Entertainment Weekly (3/26/99, p.87) - "...It's a sonic wonderland, and the jump-cut delirium is transporting..." Rating B+" Spin - "[T]hey used tape-loop gristle and other noisy marginalia to throw bright, melody-driven songs off-balance..." Magnet - "BLACK FOLIAGE confines most of the abstract excursions to the between-song 'animations,' making for a more harmonious whole..."

Olivia Tremor Control's debut DUSK AT CUBIST CASTLE alternated between pop-psych gems and all-out experimental weirdness, and it helped put the Elephant 6 collective on the map. The follow-up BLACK FOLIAGE ups the ante by successfully merging those two elements. Thus, we have swirling, REVOLVER-ish songcraft seamlessly meshed with all manner of musical arcana and effects. BLACK FOLIAGE is notable both for OTC's pop mastery and for the group's skill at sound manipulation. It's a landmark of modern psychedelia and arguably the SGT. PEPPER of the Elephant 6 universe.|