Circulatory System

Circulatory System emerged from the unsettled early years of the Olivia Tremor Control, itself one thread within the wide, overlapping networks of the Elephant 6 collective devoted to experimental indie pop. Songwriter Will Hart and Athens, Georgia popsmith Bill Doss had formed that earlier group, which ceased operations in 2000 even as multiple reunions lay ahead. Hart immediately launched Circulatory System to pursue his psychedelic inclinations, recruiting its first lineup from remaining Olivia Tremor Control members and additional players. Neutral Milk Hotel’s reclusive ringleader Jeff Magnum lent his efforts to those initial versions of the band, concentrating more on recordings than live appearances. The self-titled debut surfaced in 2001 through Cloud Recordings, with the companion release Inside Views arriving later the same year to rework fragments, demos, and further related material from the original album. Fans and critics responded favorably to the fuzzy, swirling, eclectic songs, yet the group proceeded only in intermittent bursts. Hart’s diagnosis of multiple sclerosis temporarily impeded the creative momentum. Between the 2005 Olivia Tremor Control reunion tour and the 2009 appearance of the second Circulatory System album Signal Morning, Hart continued developing new material for both projects. The 2012 death of Hart’s OTC partner Bill Doss rendered that band’s prospects uncertain. Circulatory System resurfaced in 2014 with its third album Mosaics Within Mosaics. Will Cullen Hart died on November 29, 2024, at the age of 53.