The Music Tapes
Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes
(Merge)
Some musicians seem to exist only to manufacture whimsical, annoying
music that surely seems amusing to themselves and mostly appeals to
contrarians who revel in masochistically appreciating something
damnably irritating. The Music Tapes are one such band.
The project of Julian Koster (key figure in Elephant 6 bands Neutral
Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control), the Music Tapes debuted with
1999’s 1st Imaginary Symphony for Nomad. It’s a disjointed work,
marked by (faux?) childlike naivete, a dadaistic sonic palette (singing
saw, banjo, music box, autistic-little-boy vocals), disorienting jump
cuts, and old-timey instruments and recording techniques. Imagine Lou
Barlow during his Sentridoh phase trying to re-create the Beatles’
“Revolution 9,” with Van Dyke Parks at the controls. Yeah. Which isn’t
to imply that there’s a total lack of tunefulness there. It’s just that
the tunes are mostly smeared or rendered intolerable by a tendency to
produce grating and/or overly precious sounds. You can sense a
psychedelic sensibility at work/play with the Music Tapes, but
tragically, the drugs have lost their potency.
Flash forward to the 2008
follow-up, Music Tapes for Clouds
and Tornadoes. Recorded in Koster’s bedroom(s), the new disc is
less madcap than 1st Imaginary Symphony, as Koster strips things
down to a lo-fi starkness that privileges his fragilely boyish
vocals—which are an acquired taste, like, say, porcupine burgers
or Wayne Coyne sans Dave Fridmann’s lush production—and rickety,
seasickness-inducing melodies. Nevertheless, some bright moments
surface. “Majesty” is orch-pop that lives up to its title, and “In an
Ice Palace” recalls the miniaturist enchantments of early Soft Machine.
And, er… that’s it, really.
Presumably, the Music Tapes make for a more rewarding experience
live than on record. Pure entertainment value will surely derive from
the arcane, archaic implements Koster deploys to erect his quaint,
awkward bedroom symphonies (7 Foot Tall Metronome, anyone?). Just don’t
plan on tripping… 
The Music Tapes perform Thurs Feb 19, Vera Project, 7:30 pm, $9
adv/$11 DOS, all ages. With Nana Grizol, Brian Dewan, and Your Heart
Breaks.
