The Olivia Tremor Control - Those Sessions

All Music Guide

For some bands, reproducing their studio sound into live performance is easy. The task can be a little tough for an experimental band like the Olivia Tremor Control, yet the Athens-based group surprisingly succeeds on Those Sessions. These 1997 recordings were done with John Peel, focusing on tracks from the Giant Day EP and the band's first LP Dusk at Cubist Castle. Those Sessions proves the Olivias to be a very capable live band, adding the same extra sounds and textures found on its full-length albums. The set also captures an extra energy, especially on the lead track "I'm Not Feeling Human" and the Memories of Jacqueline 1906 portion of "Suite One." The two song suites are much like condensed versions of the band's albums, in that they can completely change direction within seconds without losing focus. The last cut on the disc is a 14-minute track of low noise similar to Explanations II, done only like the OTC can.

- Tyson Bjorge, All Music Guide