Friday, October 11, 2013

THE MUSIC TAPES’ TRAVELING IMAGINARY IN REAL LIFE

The Traveling Imaginary came to New York City for a few nights in September and for a few hours the third story of a chapel became a gateway to another world. A place somewhere in the imagination of Julian Koster and The Music Tapes crew, outside of space and reality, where time stood still. A carnival full of games and cookies and music and recordings and fantastical characters and magic tricks and stories and dreams.

Since its beginnings, the band has consistently re-imagined the concert experience, and whatever form they take, they are definitely not to be missed. And, the performances are usually free of cost. For several years they’ve been doing caroling tours at Christmas time after being invited to people’s homes for a holiday gathering. They also did a tour performing their unreleased album that was a children’s story and symphony in five movements called, “2^nd Imaginary Symphony for Cloudmaking.”

The Music Tapes’ Imaginary Voices and Circuses

Read more on thebomberjacket.com

The last time I saw Julian Koster, the main man behind The Music Tapes, we were sitting in a field in Cambridge, MA near Harvard with a circle of other people. He told us about how the animated feature film he planned to make with DreamWorks about a story he wrote called “Second Imaginary Symphony for Cloudmaking” got derailed. He also mentioned that the special and extremely personal tours that he does around the U.S. can take three different forms. The third form that he mentioned, he talked about wistfully, explaining in his slow, little boy voice that it was like a traveling carnival, complete with amusements and games. It sounded like something that could never happen. However, it seems that it is actually happening this fall in support of his new record, Mary’s Voice, and it’s called “The Traveling Imaginary.”

The Music Tapes Live at the Church, Boston, MA, October 12th, 2008

There’s a line outside of The Church Nightclub down the block. Fans are waiting patiently for the doors to open so they can see The Music Tapes and the rest of the Elephant Six Orchestra form Athens, Georgia. It’s taking longer than expected, because an unusual microphone set up has to be used for the singing saw, Magnus organ, tuba, clarinet, violin, two drum sets, and of course the standard guitars and basses. They also have to set up the projector and screen for the evening’s short film. It’ll be worth the wait, because this show will be one of the most unique concert experiences those fans will see in a while.

The Music Tapes :: For Clouds and Tornadoes

Julian Koster has explained his main project The Music Tapes as ‘post cards from his imaginary world.’ If this is true then their latest album For Clouds and Tornadoes was post marked nine years ago. That’s how long it’s been since the band released 1st Imaginary Symphony for Nomad.

The new album is a lo-fi journey into the wintery shallows of Koster’s mind. It is much more accessible than 1st Imaginary, which was characterized by experiments in sound and noise, audio clips cut together and storytelling, all blended in song. For Clouds and Tornadoes is reminiscent of Koster’s work with Neutral Milk Hotel, however the band is in no way trapped in the shadow of Jeff Mangum and stands by itself amazingly well. The only darkness looming over The Music Tapes is that of the sonic tornado Koster has created.

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