Kelly Ruberto

Music Profile

Circulatory System

Elephant 6's Second Generation By Stewart Mason

The continuation of the Olivia Tremor Control following the departure of that band's co-founder.

The original three Elephant 6 bands -- The Apples In Stereo, Neutral Milk Hotel and The Olivia Tremor Control -- spun off a dizzying array of satellites, as seemingly each member of every band started their own fancifully-named project. Circulatory System, however, was something different: fundamentally, this band led by singer-songwriter Will Cullen Hart is the Olivia Tremor Control's continuation following the departure of that band's co-founder, Bill Doss. Hart made the continuation plain on the cover of the band's self-titled debut, which features the same style of artwork Hart had created for OTC, as well as the swirling lo-fi psychedelia found in the grooves. However, following a tour (on which Neutral Milk Hotel's reclusive leader Jeff Mangum played drums) and a remix album, Circulatory System disappeared for the better part of eight years. In 2009, a slightly reworked lineup (this time including contributions from Doss) returned with Signal Morning, a less whimsical album that sounds influenced by post-Elephant 6 acts like Broken Social Scene. Concurrent with the release of the new album, Hart revealed that he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

TAGS: Athens Georgia, collective, DIY, dream pop, Elephant 6, indie rock, psychedelia,

FACTS: ; Location: Athens, Georgia, United States; Cloud Recordings