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.
Today I Lost A Tooth
The Olivia Tremor Control Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Today I lost my youth
The day is long
But life is short
Do you what you must
but just be sure to take it all inside
Today I heard the truth
Now life is long
But life is short
Do you what you must
but just be sure to tell everyone
The Olivia Tremor Control's song "Today I Lost A Tooth" contains lyrics that deal with themes of loss, aging, and mortality. The opening lines "Today I lost a tooth, Today I lost my youth," suggest the loss of something essential, the loss of youthfulness, and the impermanence of life. The lines that follow, "The day is long, But life is short" emphasize the transience of life and urge the listener to live in the moment while they still can. The refrain "Do what you must, but just be sure to take it all inside" is a call to action, urging the listener to live fully and be present in their experiences.
As the song progresses, the lyrics add a new layer to the song's theme of loss, taking on a slightly more mournful tone. The line "Today I heard the truth, Today I lost my youth" suggests the loss of childish naivete, perhaps coming to the realization that life is not what it once seemed. The following line, "Now life is long, But life is short," recognizes that while life may seem like it stretches out in front of us, it is ultimately fleeting. The final refrain "Do what you must, but just be sure to tell everyone" could be interpreted as a plea to leave a mark on the world, to make sure that one's life and experiences are meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
Today I lost a tooth
Today, I experienced something that symbolizes growing up and getting older
Today I lost my youth
With the loss of my tooth, I also lost my innocence and sense of being young
The day is long
Time seems to pass by slowly and each moment feels like an eternity
But life is short
In the grand scheme of things, life is brief and fleeting
Do you what you must
Follow your own path and make choices that feel right to you
but just be sure to take it all inside
Experience everything with an open heart and mind, allowing yourself to fully absorb the world around you
Today I heard the truth
I learned something new that has helped me to grow and understand the world a bit better
Now life is long
As I continue to learn and grow, life is beginning to feel much longer than it did before
but life is short
Yet, I know that life is still brief and valuable, so I must make the most of it
Do you what you must
I will continue to make choices that feel true to me and make me happy
but just be sure to tell everyone
I will also be sure to share my experiences and knowledge with others, so that they may learn and grow alongside me
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Naomi Larbi
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4140 is gud
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