Music

Average customer rating:

Kaleidoscopic collage of sweet pop and soundscapes.
A Transparent Dream: Psychedelic, Ambient, Dear Prudence, Noise, Pet Sounds, Toy Piano . . .
No Classic
a few too many ingredients
maybe 3 .5 ?

Music From the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle
The Olivia Tremor Control
Manufacturer: Cloud Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00008LO99
Release Date: 2004-02-03

Tracks:

The Opera House
Frosted Ambassador
Jumping Fences
Define A Transparent Dream
No Growing (Exegesis)
Holiday Surprise 1,2,3
Courtyard
Memories Of Jacqueline 1906
Tropical Bells
Can You Come Down With Us?
Marking Time
Green Typewriters
Green Typewriters
Green Typewriters
Green Typewriters
Green Typewriters
Green Typewriters
Green Typewriters
Green Typewriters
Green Typewriters
Green Typewriters
Spring Succeeds
Theme For A Very Delicious Grand Piano
I Can Smell The Leaves
Dusk At Cubist Castle
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Customer Reviews:

Kaleidoscopic collage of sweet pop and soundscapes........2006-02-23

Music from the Unrealised Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle, is a strange and disorientating album that is pitched halfway between 60's influenced neo-prog-psychedelia, and the more recognisable sound of mid-90's indie. It's certainly the most adventurous album released by any of the various Elephant 6 Collective offshoots, with The Olivia Tremor Control writing and recording 'Dusk...' over a period of three years, with a rolling line up of collaborators including Eric Harris, John Fernandes, Steve Jacobek, Nick Benjamin and Julian Koster, as well Neutral Milk Hotel leader Jeff Mangum on piano, slide-guitar and backing vocals, and the Apples in Stereo's Robert Schneider, who adds bass, melodica, backing vocals, as well as acting as the engineer and co-producer of the album as a whole. The nucleus of the band was Will Cullen Heart and Bill Doss, who here write, perform and produce the majority of the album, as well as adding the bizarre sketches and collages that make up the album's art work.

The album is a fantastic and endlessly fascinating combination of different styles, tempos, ideas and atmospherics, with the band taking on elements of early Pink Floyd, the Beach Boys and The Beatles to form the core backing of 60's trip-pop, alongside lingering traces of folk, krautrock, avant-garde expressionism, ambient noise, field recordings and the early hallmarks of a sound that would later become known as post-rock. As a result, every stylistic diversion seems perfectly judged, with the album creating that dreamy quality where songs distort and metamorphose into completely different songs, whilst repeated exposure eventually gives way to all manner of hidden sounds, voices, noises and motifs. Along with Neutral Milk Hotel's masterpiece, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, I'd cite Dusk at Cubist Castle as a more alternative take on the territory of Radiohead's celebrated OK Computer, with both albums sharing the same loose conceptual edge, bizarre and varied approach to musicianship, and a stark and jarring combination of dissonant noise blurring seamlessly with traditional rock and pop structures.

Like their follow up album Black Foliage, as well as related records like On Avery Island, Black Swan Network and Circulatory System, the songs on Dusk at Cubist Castle (as well as the album's subtitle, Music from the Unrealised Film Script) seems to suggest the idea of a concept... though what it is remains vague and fragmented by the stretches of surreal dreamlike lyrics, and the wild switches in style. The album even has a ten-song mini song cycle positioned in the middle of the album called Green Typewriters (which runs through tracks 12 to 22), which merges a variety of wild influences, including White Album-era Beatles and BBC field recording techniques, into one seamless sonic dreamscape. What it all means remains a mystery, though the All Music Guide suggests a story involving a pair of women named Olivia and Jacqueline, and a massive earthquake dubbed the California Demise... which makes sense, I suppose!!

The more you listen to the album, the more it takes a hold of you... At least half of the songs work as great pieces of pop, with the opening track The Opera House having a very modern style that is removed from the mock-60's referentialism of acts like the Apples in Stereo, The Dukes of Stratosphere and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Jumping Fences, Define a Transparent Dream, No Growing (Exegesis), Holiday Surprise 1-3 and Memories of Jacqueline 1906 are all fine pop songs that have a touch of the Dukes circa 25 O' Clock about them, whilst also managing to present remnants of a sound that is more interesting and unique. The sound collages work well too, adding a depth to the songs that surround them, whilst further highlighting the bizarre concept at hand. Unlike "real" progressive acts of the 60's and 70's, the Olivia Tremor Control never seem to be adding noise or bizarre instrumentation simply because they can... in fact, it mostly seems like the songs were written and envisioned this way to begin with.

They also don't let the concept get in the way of the album as something to listen to for entertainment and enjoyment, with most of the songs possessing strong melodies, interesting lyrics and a great performance (or as great as you can get when recording on a four-track in someone's living room!!). The lo-fi aesthetic works great here (as it did for Neutral Milk Hotel, who recorded in a similar fashion at roughly the same time), with the songs benefiting from the warm fuzz of the instruments and the slightly muffled vocals, which to me, gives the songs a sense of intimacy that jars against the exotic sounds and the expansive concept. After four or five listens, the album makes sense, and flows seamlessly from beginning to end (Hart and Doss clearly taking a lot of care in the way the songs and the album have been sequenced!!), with the diverse and disorientating sound of each song eventually creating a bizarre and dreamlike mood that flows brilliantly from beginning to end. Dusk at Cubist Castle, along with the follow up Black Foliage, remains a great and continually interesting album from a greatly underrated band, and along with gems like In the Aeroplane over the Sea, On Avery Island and Circulatory System, is a highlight of the esteemed Elephant 6 Collective.

A Transparent Dream: Psychedelic, Ambient, Dear Prudence, Noise, Pet Sounds, Toy Piano . . . .......2005-12-04

Geez. I was forty-four years old. For twenty years (and more) I had been trying to re-create the moment when I first listened to Talking Heads' "Speaking in Tongues." "Dusk at Cubist Castle" had arrived that day. The wife and kids gathered around the boom box in the kitchen. "Let's check this out."

What I heard I was not prepared to digest--psychedelic, ambient, dear prudence, noise, pet sounds, beatles, pop, . . . transparent dream. I didn't have a category for this . . . and I still don't. But that night "Dusk at Cubist Castle" convinced me that music wasn't dead (as I had come to almost believe).

In the wake of that night, the Olivia Tremor Contral has ruined most other music for me. And here is why.

1. "Dusk at Cubist Castle" took me to a place I had never been before. A unique and new listening experience: I haven't gotten much of that from other artists before or since.

2. There is an artistic vision in the work. Sure the vision isn't as consistent in "Dusk at Cubist Castle" as it is in "Black Foliage," but it is there. The vision of most artist doesn't extend much beyond trying to get me to open my wallet and buy their stuff.

3. The work is generous. On listen after listen, "Dusk at Cubist Castle" continues to speak to me. It is layered and complex and is therefore able to give something over time. This is one standard of good art: with each viewing or listen it speaks to you. Most art has said all it has to say in one glimpse, in one listen.

4. It offers a rich sonic experience. I am sick to death of guitars, bass, and drums. In some sense that combination is in danger of playing itself out (the exception may be Spoon). "Dusk at Cubit Castle" creates a complex and unexpected landscape of sound.

So now I spend my time trying to re-create the experience of listening to "Dusk at Cubist Castle" for the first time. Here is what I have found that is worth mentioning: Olivia Tremor Control's "Black Foliage" (a stronger work); Circulatory System's eponymous CD; the Go! Team's "Thunder, Lightning, Strike"; Elf Power's "A Dream in Sound"; Dungen's "Ta Det Lugnt"; Manitoba's "Up in Flames"; and the Microphones' "The Glow Part 2"; All Night Radio's "Spirit, Radio, Frequency"; and, of course, Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea."

Check out "Dusk at Cubist Castle" and invite me over for the first listen.

No Classic.......2005-11-23

Unfortunately, this band sounds a lot more like Robert Schneider's other band than Jeff Mangum's. While not as sickly sweet as most Apples in Stereo stuff, it still lacks the edge and toughness to be great pop. And of course, it's needlessly "challenging" with all the random sounds and beeps and whatever. I think this band and the Apples (see Her Wallpaper Reverie) put that kind of stuff next to their conventional songs because they are trying to make up for the fact that their songs are a little too bubbly and sugary to be taken seriously. You often end up with the worst of both worlds- lightweight pop and unlistenable noise.

I believe that Elephant Six produced many fair-to-good albums, a whole bunch of garbage and just two unquestionably great albums: The Coast is Never Clear and In the Aeroplane Over The Sea. Consider this a good one, but make sure you have those two before wading into this one.

a few too many ingredients.......2005-11-02

Pretty enjoyable through and through, though some of the songs seem nearly buried in all the sound effects, toy instruments, bells and singing saws. It's a little like an "everything" bagel -- the novelty is intact, but there are too many competing flavors.

I love this album about every other time I listen to it, and I really enjoy the drawn-out sound collage in the midsection, but it can otherwise be overwhelming and busy sounding.

OTC could have saved a few of these ideas for a follow-up album.

maybe 3 .5 ?.......2005-10-06

This is a decent album, and probably the best on the Elephant 6 label. Alot of the songs lack punch and rawness that classic psych displayed in spades. The Elephant 6 bands always played the sunny approach to psychedelia and at times these songs sound like bad acid jingles(commercials)lacking any real edge or balls. While this album is no classic, it still has its moments. There are many interesting sound effects/noise pastiches emulating the Beach Boys with some solid songs/songwriting in between. The Opera House is hard edged psychedelia that will shred your speakers in half and one of the best songs on the album. Can You Come Down With Us, Transparent Dream, and Tropical Bells are also among the better songs on the album that conjure up a spacey atmosphere. That said, this album is no S.F. Sorrow, C.Q. (the Outsiders), Begin (Millennium), Revolver, The Who Sell Out, Surf's Up, Before The Dream Faded or Odessey and Oracle.

Average customer rating:

Late to board the OTC space vessel, but here I am
A Transparent Dream: Psychedelic, Ambient, Dear Prudence, Noise, Pet Sounds, Toy Piano . . .
Beatles + Neutral Milk Hotel = Olivia Tremor Control
Dusk at Cubist Castle. A majestic masterpiece.
Wow

Dusk at Cubist Castle
The Olivia Tremor Control
Manufacturer: Flydaddy Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Lo-Fi | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000005MPJ
Release Date: 1996-08-06

Tracks:

The Opera House
Frosted Ambassador
Jumping Fences
Define A Transparent Dream
No Growing (Exegesis)
Holiday Surprise 1, 2, 3
Courtyard
Memories Of Jacqueline 1906
Tropical Bells
Can You Come Down With Us?
Marking Time
21 Green Typewriters
21 Green Typewriters
21 Green Typewriters
21 Green Typewriters
21 Green Typewriters
21 Green Typewriters
21 Green Typewriters
21 Green Typewriters
21 Green Typewriters
21 Green Typewriters
Spring Succeeds
Theme For A Very Delicious Grand Piano
I Can Smell The Leaves
Dusk At Cubist Castle
The Gravity Car
NYC-25

Amazon.com essential recording

Who needs psychotropic medicines when Olivia Tremor Control can thoroughly, positively alter one's mindset? OTC's crammed, lysergic debut full-length from 1996 is an undeniable masterpiece, but of what sort? Of the Elephant Six kind. Naturally, then, the vocals are smothered in Big Star/Beatles-like harmonies and the songs segue from musique concrète to delicate drone to Piper at the Gates of Dawn-style jams and even flat-out, poppy rock. The lyrics are a delirious update of psychedelia's most positive moments ("We feel OK, which is how we feel most of the time now / Nothing can be done without the willingness to succeed"). And oh yeah, it's a concept record (the full title is Music from the Unrealized Film Script 'Dusk at Cubist Castle') that has something to do with green typewriters and California sinking into the Pacific Ocean. This record is a life-affirming, druggy, beautiful mess. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews:

Late to board the OTC space vessel, but here I am.......2006-10-18

I bought the Circulatory System album about a year ago after reading a review on here. Long story short, the album blew my mind to bits. So I went on to search frantically like I was in the midst of a god damned gold rush, testing the abilities of every search engine on the net, trying to find anything about William C. Hart. So of course I eventually become educated about OTC and Hart's buddy, Mr. Doss, among others. I bought this album along with Black Foliage: Volume 1, and while I think Black Foliage is slightly better, this album, Dusk at Cubist Castle, is a masterpiece as well. At first, I was a bit put off by this album because it didn't seem as trippy as some of the other albums, but then I realized that this album is loaded with great songs. Eventually, the album gets more and more experimental and trippy, as the album gets further and further. I kind of think this album as a double edged sword. Half of it is straight up great pop songs and half is twisted, trippy, scary but good nightmare. Many of the songs are so good, you just sit there in amazement at the beautiful sounds that hit you from a million directions. Like anything else the Hart/Doss maching makes, you need to listen to this album as a whole, at least the first couple of times, before you make any judgement or decide which songs are the best. Hart and Doss have completely changed my perception of psych/pop/rock music; now I want every album to sound like Olivia Tremor Control, they are just that good. This album is a masterpiece: great vocals/harmonies, great lyrics, great instrumental placements, amazing overall song-crafting, experimental sounds fitting perfectly with the flow of the album, BEAUTIFULLY CONTROLLED CHAOS would describe it the best.

A Transparent Dream: Psychedelic, Ambient, Dear Prudence, Noise, Pet Sounds, Toy Piano . . . .......2006-05-03

Beatles + Neutral Milk Hotel = Olivia Tremor Control.......2004-11-29

Take the heart of the Beatles and wrap it in the melodies of Neutral Milk Hotel and/or the Flaming Lips... and you have Olivia Tremor Control -- one of the best swirls of neo-psychedelica in history. "Music From the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle" is an intoxicating, sprawling mix of abstract soundscapes and Beatles-esque pop -- and it never stumbles once.

The first song opens with a slowly revving bass, haunted by a backdrop of peculiar feedback sounds... followed by a majestic, poppy "Opera House." Things take a slightly stranger turn in the eerie music-box melody of "Frosted Ambassador" and the fizzing, exotic "Tropical Bells." But still there is the upbeat, slightly warped Britpoppy "Courtyard" and slightly ominous beauty of "Holiday Surprise 1,2,3."

But after the lush piano-pop of "Marking Time," things take a rather surreal turn. A ten-song cycle called "Green Typewriters continues, mixing distortion, fuzz and sputtery percussion with synths and lilting vocals. They return to their previous sound with the brassy pop of "Spring Succeeds," but most of what remains is eerie and strange. The climax is "Dusk at Cubist Castle," a sprawling seven-and-a-half-miniute track with a dark, shimmery background and the sounds of a Tibetan prayer bowl.

It's hard to criticize any one song on "Music From the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle," because it feels more like a musical tapestry of many different colors. Diss one song while praising another? Can't be done. Even "Green Typewriters VIII," a ten-minute sprawl of ominous sounds, seems to fit in perfectly.

The biggest flaw might be the obvious debt to the Beatles -- at times you can almost swear you hear John and Paul in there. But the Beatles at their most psychedelic never made anything like this -- space bubbles, sparkling piano, trombones, the singing saw, Tibetan prayer bowls, all overlaid on jolly pop melodies and ominous soundscapes teeming with fuzz and distortion. Even at its most abstract, Olivia Tremor Control's sound is hypnotic.

The vocals are handled by Robert Schneider and Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum (who is rumored to have joined the circus or something like that). Their vocals are a bit off-key, but pleasant and warm. And the songwriting reflects the music -- it starts off relatively normal with "Conflict in our heads makes us see/without the depth that we used to/all of the problems in our way." Pretty ordinary, huh? But the second half has dreamlike songs like "Dusk at Cubist Castle/all the clouds are in past tense/all the kingdom is in fragments/and these paintings don't make sense..." You don't need to understand -- just listen.

Olivia Tremor Control's "Music From the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle" is a sweeping psychedelic tapestry, full of strange dreams and even stranger music. This unrecognized classic is a must have, for those willing to dream and imagine the Cubist Castle.

Dusk at Cubist Castle. A majestic masterpiece........2004-09-09

This album didn't appeal to me at first until I rediscovered it recently, I was immediately struck by it's brilliance, making me wonder what I missed the first time around. 'Dusk At Cubist Castle' by Olivia Tremor Control is one of these unrecognized gems, perhaps being the Can of the Elephant Six label, going unappreciated if somehow not unearthed and allowed to shine. This CD is pure neo-psychadelic pop genius, a combination of latter period Beatles, 'Pet Sounds' by The Beach Boys, and the improvisational spirit of Krautrock. Or if you want a more contemporary description, just think 'Navy Blues' by Sloan meeting the psychadelic noodlings of The Flaming Lips or Super Furry Animals. Thrown into the arrangements are these creative interludes, sporadic Zappa-like segues often giving the impression of a 'song within a song'. The entire recording is incredibly rich and well produced, melodic and harmonic, yet not straying too far from Elephant Six's raw retro-guitar sound. Nothing more can be said really, other than 'Dusk At Cubist Castle' seems like a musical speaking-in-tongues, drawing from classic innovators like Brian Wilson and Lennon/McCartney, and channeling it through Olivia Tremor Control.

Wow.......2003-10-11

It Doesen't matter if you are into Metal, Hip-hop, Pop, Polka... This goes beyond all that. If you are a fan of music, you owe it to yourself to listen to this cd. You wont regret it.

BUY IT!

Average customer rating:

Unrealized

Dusk at Cubist Castle
Olivia Tremor Contro
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B0000565TT

Customer Reviews:

Unrealized.......2004-12-07

Music:

Music