The band's distinct sound is a mixture of Doss and Hart's experimental tendencies. This chemistry is evident in their albums given that some tracks are 2-3 minute pop songs, while others are electro-acoustic collages ranging in length from 2 seconds to 10 minutes, and differing in content from vibrant horns to near silence. Furthermore, the band released a record of experimental electro-acoustic music, The Late Music, Volume One, under the name The Black Swan Network, in 1997. Another Black Swan Network release, a 7" EP on the Happy Happy Birthday to Me label, appeared in 2000, though it did not feature Bill Doss. In October 1997, a "collaborative" LP between The Olivia Tremor Control and The Black Swan Network was released, originally as a tour-only item, and later put out as a CD by Flydaddy, which gave the record the title, The Olivia Tremor Control Vs. The Black Swan Network,' though the band had never wanted the record to be named as such. The band was influenced by the odd quality inherent in dreams and asked their listeners to send in tapes describing their own, examples of which can be heard in the final track of Black Foliage and the OTC-BSN collaborative LP.
The members of The Olivia Tremor Control embarked on a variety of different projects before and after the band broke up. Eric Harris released a record under the name Frosted Ambassador and later two CD-R releases under his own name on Cloud Recordings, the label founded by Fernandes and Hart in the wake of OTC's demise. Pete Erchick released two records, Individualized Shirts and Special Fanfare For Anything, under the name Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't. Bill Doss followed OTC by putting out records as The Sunshine Fix, a name he had used years before. The Sunshine Fix has evolved from a recording project to a formal working band. Hart's post-OTC project, Circulatory System, has taken a similar route. The self-titled 2001 LP continued the melding together of pop and experimental traditions the OTC had worked on and won high accolades from the press. While the follow-up is still in the works, the band continues to play live shows in Athens and occasionally elsewhere.
In 2005, the Olivia Tremor Control temporarily reunited, solely for live shows, at the behest of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival. They appeared at a UK version of the festival, preceded by warm-up shows in Athens and London; that summer, they again played Athens, at the Orange Twin Conservation Community, as well as gigs in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and L.A.
In May 2009, Will Hart said in an interview that the band had recently re-entered the recording studio: "We've got two songs for the next Olivia record, in my opinion. They're on Bill's hard drive."
In March 2011, Elf Power drummer Derek Almstead confirmed that he was engineering and playing percussion on the new record and that new material would be debuted at All Tomorrows' Parties later in the year. In addition to this, they have released a song titled "North Term Reality" under Olivia Tremor Control for AUX Vol. 2.
On August 30, 2011, the band premiered a new song, "The Game You Play is In Your Head Parts 1, 2 &3" and announced they planned to have a new album out later in 2011. Tour dates for Winter 2011 were also announced.
The death of Bill Doss was announced on July 31, 2012.
The Gravity Car
The Olivia Tremor Control Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
it won't go far with marbles found in a barnyard
i saw the distance between us and felt
for once in my life i believe what i'm saying
i peeked inside of your gravity car
through open fields past the graveyard
i guess i'm wrong when i say we won't get far
The Olivia Tremor Control's "The Gravity Car" is a poetic and introspective song with thought-provoking lyrics that delve into the idea of distance and connection through the metaphor of a gravity car. The song begins with the singer peeking inside someone else's gravity car, which won't go far with marbles found in a barnyard. The singer sees the distance between them and feels for once in their life that they actually believe what they're saying. This line could allude to the fact that the singer has a habit of distancing themselves from others, but seeing the physical representation of distance in the gravity car makes them realize the gravity of the situation.
As the song progresses, the singer travels past a graveyard and sees open fields. They realize that they were wrong when they said they wouldn't get far because they've already come so far. The song could be interpreted as a reflection on the journey of life and how it's easy to focus on the distance between people and the things we want to achieve, but it's important to recognize the progress we've made and how far we've come. Overall, the lyrics of "The Gravity Car" encourage listeners to take a step back and reflect on their lives, relationships, and goals.
Line by Line Meaning
i peeked inside of your gravity car
I took a look at what's inside your vehicle that relies on gravity for movement
it won't go far with marbles found in a barnyard
The car won't travel very far with the use of marbles that were picked up from a barnyard
i saw the distance between us and felt
I noticed the physical space between us and it made me experience an emotion
for once in my life i believe what i'm saying
I have a strong conviction about what I'm saying and I truly believe it
through open fields past the graveyard
We drove through open fields and past a graveyard
i guess i'm wrong when i say we won't get far
I was mistaken in my earlier assumption that we wouldn't make much progress
look where we are now
We have clearly made some progress to an impressive point
Contributed by Bentley P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.