The Musical Box

circulatory system. clockwise from bottom left: bassist/organist peter erchick, guitarist nesey gallons, cellist heather mcintosh, drummer derek almstead, violinist/clarinetist/bassist john fernandes, guitarist/vocalist will cullen hart. photo by kelly ruberto.

Now here is a happy surprise. The last we heard from the Athens, Ga. psychedelic pop brigade Circulatory System - in recorded form, at least - was when its fine self-titled debut album was issued some eight years ago.

That record, cut by leader/founder Will Cullen Hart and remains of the then-recently demised Olivia Tremor Control, was a scrapbook of retro and indie pop inspirations tossed together and shaken vigorously. On the album-opening Yesterday’s World, you heard a dizzying sing-a-long that swam back to the late ‘60s folk of the Incredible String Band with a touch of Revolver-era John Lennon as channeled by Robyn Hitchcock. Then animated, Frank Zappa-esque reeds start bouncing about. In short, this was music that made the rounds.

So now, at long last, we have a followup called Signal Morning - a record where Hart and his pals, quite remarkably, stray little from the sort of psychedelia that sprouted from the first album. On This Morning, We Remembered Everything, a beefy T. Rex-style groove is thrown into the fun until the ensemble sound fractures into XTC-like frenzy.

Hart, for those familiar with the regenerative spirit of indie rock during the ‘90s, was also a co-founding member of Elephant 6, a pop collective that also gave rise to, among other bands, The Apples in Stereo (the band’s Lexington-based chieftain Robert Schneider is also a founder). Signal Morning is very much in keeping with the collective’s practice of formulating new music out of solid pop melodies, pronounced psychedelic accents and considerable sonic experimentation.

Though diagnosed with multiple sclerosis while making Signal Morning, Hart works steadily as a visual artist and oversees his Cloud Recordings label. He also takes on considerable roadwork. As such, Hart and Circulatory System perform at Al’s Bar this weekend to serve up the pop quilt tunes from Signal Morning on Saturday night.

Two other Circulatory System mainstays will open the show. Guitarist Nesey Gallons will likely spotlight solo acoustic works while keyboardist/bassist Peter Erchick will perform with his band, Pipes You See, Pipes You Don’t.

Circulatory System performs at 9 p.m. Saturday at Al’s Bar, 601 N. Limestone. Cover charge is $5. Call (859) 309-2901.