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... recommended

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.