The Olivia Tremor Control - 1997 - Those Sessions

Quality: 3.5 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 3.75 out of 5

Here's a bit more OTC esoterica. These sessions (I hope that doesn't count as a pun) date from some late 90's Peel Sessions, and give us the only taste of the live experience that I know of unless you happened to catch these guys in concert back in the day (I did!). Although obviously lacking the psychedelic tapestry feel of the band's studio creations, this is another essential addendum for a few reasons. Among the couple of song suites present are a few tracks that were either unreleased or were drawn from obscure EPs. We also get a few renditions from the great LP, Dusk At Cubist Castle. More importantly though, the songs are stitched together in a series of mini-suites that almost play like proper EPs. It's also interesting hear the band attempt to fuse their bass/drums/guitar core with various sound effects and odd instrumentation in a live setting.

Leading things off is the only isolated song, non-LP track "I'm Not Feeling Human." The next two tracks are eight minutes each, and meld together about four songs a piece. These sport a far drier sound than their studio counterparts, and truthfully are not as good, but they do have the benefit of sounding very different. Hearing the altered atmospherics and more immediate punch is worth the price of admission.

If you have more than a passing interest in the Olivia Tremor Control, you'll find this an interesting listen. It doesn't come close to upstaging the band's short but masterful recording career, but it adds welcome perspective to that legacy.