Circulatory System

by Joe Silva Will Cullen Hart purposely stepped off the indie pop radar after once being a key songwriting force in the homespun psychedelic troop known as the Olivia Tremor Control. Sometime in 2000, the Ruston, LA, native began woodshedding in his Athens, GA, home to paint and decompress after the band's whirlwind success exceeded his personal tolerance levels. Eventually, new songs slowly began to creep out of his psyche. While Bill Doss, the Olivia's other principal songwriter, actively continued to pursue his solo Sunshine Fix project, Hart collected up the remaining members of Olivia (Peter Erchick, John Fernandes, and Eric Harris), Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum, and local string player Heather Mcintosh to produce Circulatory System's 2001 self-titled debut. The album was recorded largely in the trippy environs of Hart's bedroom studio. Late that year, a touring version of the band hit the road to support the release. While amicably split, future collaborations between Hart and Doss are uncertain.