Last week, the passing of Elephant 6 Recording Co. co-founder and The Olivia Tremor Control Bill Doss was shocking and saddening. We at Surviving the Golden Age decided to pay tribute to Doss by rounding up our top 10 favorite Elephant 6 related groups.
10. The Ladybug Transistor
Brooklyn-based The Ladybug Transistor are one of the many groups closely associated with Elephant 6 despite never actually releasing an album with the label. The group has released the majority of their albums–including their latest, 2011’s Clutching Stems–on Merge Records.
MP3: The Ladybug Transistor “The Swimmer”
09. Of Montreal
Of Montreal get lumped in with Elephant 6 bands despite never having released a record on the label. The reason for this is not just because they play psychedelic pop and are from Athens but because Bryan Poole plays double duty between Of Montreal and Elephant 6 band, Elf Power.
MP3: Of Montreal “The Past is a Grotesque Animal”
08. The Essex Green
Brooklyn’s The Essex Green released only one EP on Elephant 6 but their blend of 1960s folk and pop seems a perfect fit with the label. Like fellow Brooklyners, The Ladybug Transistors, most of their album’s have been released on Merge.
MP3: The Essex Green “Don’t Know Why (You Stay)”
07. Beulah
Beulah always seemed to be the least Elephant 6 band on Elephant 6. The band was not from Athens and never lived in the Orange Twin commune. But Beulah did make some damn good pop music as seen on their debut album and the only album they released on Elephant 6, Handsome Western States.
MP3: Beulah “Disco: The Secretaries Blues”
06. Pipes You See, Pipes You Don’t
The side project of The Olivia Tremor Control keyboardist Peter Erchick, Pipes You See, Pipes You Don’t never released an album with Elephant 6. Despite existing throughout Elephant 6’s 90s run, the band never managed to release a record until 2001 when Elephant 6 was first going on hiatus.
MP3: Pipes You See, Pipes You Don’t “North Carolina”
05. Von Hemmling
Von Hemmling, the solo project of Jim McIntyre, is perhaps one of the most experimental acts associated with Elephant 6. He released his first cassette and seven inch record with Elephant 6 in the mid-90s.
MP3: Von Hemmling “In the Waiting Room”
04. Elf Power
Athens, GA’s Elf Power self-released several albums before dropping their Elephant 6 debut in 1997. They released a total of three albums on the label before starting their own label, Orange Twin Records.
MP3: Elf Power “Ghost of John”
03. The Olivia Tremor Control
Bill Doss and Will Cullen Hart started The Olivia Tremor Control as a project to experiment with pop music. Throughout their 20 year career, the group pushed the boundries of pop music by experimenting with tape loops and feedback samples among other techniques.
MP3: The Olivia Tremor Control “Hideaway”
02. Apples in Stereo
Robert Schneider was one of Elephant 6’s other co-founders as well as the leader of Apples in Stereo. The Apples, as they are affectionately known, became quite popular in the 90s with their bright, colorful music videos and placement on such shows as the Powerpuff Girls.
MP3: Apples in Stereo “Seems So”
01. Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel are probably the act most closely associated with Elephant 6. The success of Jeff Mangum and company’s sophomore album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea thrust the label into the spotlight.
MP3: Neutral Milk Hotel “Two-Headed Boy”
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