Julian Koster (The Music Tapes) Announces 2011 Holiday Caroling Tour, Releases New Music Tapes Video

Check out more photos and a review of The Music Tapes and Olivia Tremor Control @ LPR over here!

Julian Koster, former touring member of Neutral Milk Hotel, current touring member of Olivia Tremor Control, and frontman for his own The Music Tapes, is an eccentric guy. I think that quality is a prerequisite for admission to the Elephant Six Collective… they’re all pretty wacky in their own ways. So it really comes as no surprise that Koster today has announced that, following an annual tradition since 2008, he and his Caroling Ambassadors of singing saws will be accepting invitations to carol at homes along the East Coast of the US and Canada from November 28 to December 12.

That’s right… invite Julian to carol at your home and he will make it happen. The final list of dates will be announced just prior to the commencement of the tour. If you’d like to invite Koster, email musictapescaroling2011@gmail.com. Also be sure to check out a new video from The Music Tapes (who we saw give a great opening performance for the Olivia Tremor Control back in September) below, courtesy of Merge Records.

Photos/Review: The Olivia Tremor Control @ Le Poisson Rouge

Bill Doss of The Olivia Tremor Control

The Olivia Tremor Control / The Music Tapes @ Le Poisson Rouge
Photos: Chris / Review: Mike Koene

In the mid 90’s, as the guitars of grunge disintegrated angstily overhead, The Elephant 6 Collective began to not so quietly make a name for themselves on the burdgeoning underground neo-psych scene. Actually, they pretty much created the scene. Merging the sounds of '60s psychedelia with elements of musique concrète, jazz, and eastern european music (and with more than a dash of the aforementioned grunge), the bands of the Elephant 6 Collective succeeded in building a colorful body of music based on melody, experimentalism and a commitment to weirdness. Of the three original E6 bands (the other two being The Apples In Stereo and Neutral Milk Hotel) The Olivia Tremor Control are perhaps the best example of the E6 aesthetic in all its floral glory.

The band took the stage at Le Poisson Rouge, joined by Neutral Milk Hotel alumni Scott Spillane and Julian Koster (who’s excellent band The Music Tapes opened the show), and started into “A Peculiar Noise Called “Train Director”” from 1999’s Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One. From then on, it was all California harmonies, tambourines and fuzz guitar (plus banjo, trumpet, a handful of organs, noisemakers, etc.). The band launched into a fan-friendly set, that while heavy on tunes from Black Foliage and their first album Dusk at Cubist Castle, also drew songs from their early singles to paint a picture that was at once almost unrelentingly sunny, but with an ominous underbelly. Highlights included “I’m Not Feeling Human”, the beatific “Define A Transparent Dream” (a personal favorite) and the nostalgic “California Demise” (their first release on E6). 

True to their free-wheeling form, bizarre tape loops sporadically sprouted unannounced and untethered from song-to-song. As the room suddenly became a little less solid, the assembled were treated to a medleyesque procession of tunes punctuated by a time-warp guitar meltdown courtesy of founding fathers and chief songwriters, Will Cullen Hart and Bill Doss. The psychedelic revival was again in full flower at Le Poisson Rouge, and as The Olivia Tremor Control took the stage for an encore, the feeling of communion and mutual gratitude between the audience and performers was undeniable. The band closed the show with a rousing version of “The Opera House," the first song off their first record, and graciously left the stage.

Be sure to stream the entire show over at NPR. Below, check out a full set of photos from last night's show including a photo of the setlist (that differs slightly from what they actually played)...

This Week's Nostalgia (9/19-9/25)

Holy shit, there's a lot of stuff going on this week. And for some god forsaken reason I've waited until this late to write about it. Okay, not wasting anymore time, here it is...

Deerhoof @ Europa (more)

Deerhoof @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Tuesday, September 20

It really doesn't get much better than seeing Deerhoof live. Forget the fact that they're one of the most progressive musical acts of the 21st century, or that they're practically a genre unto themselves, or that they feature one of the greatest drummers of all time... Deerhoof are a phenomenal fucking band to see live. And the fact that they're so weird and off-putting to some people ensures that they will continue to play in small venues throughout the duration of their career. So wallow in the fact that Deerhoof come to NYC every few months to melt our faces with their unique brand of psychedelic, jazz-tinged indie rock. Tickets are still on sale.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark @ Irving Plaza
Tuesday, September 20 / Wednesday September 21

OMD, despite having that song in Pretty in Pink, are actually one of the more influential electronic acts to emerge from the sea of god awful pop acts of the '80s. Having reunited with the classic lineup in 2007, the band played their first North American tour since 1988 earlier this year and received rave reviews throughout. They also just released a very limited edition live album last month, that, having listened to, I can assure is pleasantly awesome. Definitely check out OMD at Irving Plaza on either Tuesday or Wednesday, for which tickets are still on sale for both.

Elephant 6 Orchestra @ LPR (more)

Olivia Tremor Control @ Le Poisson Rouge
Wednesday, September 21

This is the show this week that I'm most excited about. When I first came back to New York City in 2005 after spending four years in Plattsburgh, NY for school, I was given an extra ticket to see Olivia Tremor Control at Bowery Ballroom by my brother. It was a revelatory moment for me, when I realized that psychedelic music was very much alive and present in music today, and could be just as accessible as anything that was on the radio at the time. Still, not many people know the importance of Olivia Tremor Control--which is a shame. If you're curious what the pinnacle Elephant Six band sounds like, do yourself a favor and pick up a ticket for their show at the intimate Le Poisson Rouge for Wednesday, where I also saw many of the same band members play as the Elephant Six Collective back in May. Fellow E6 band The Music Tapes open. Rock.

Jeff Tweedy @ Maxwell's (more)

Nick Lowe / Wilco @ Central Park SummerStage
Thursday, September 22 / Friday, September 23

It's always kind of weird when the influencer opens for the influenced - when Pixies opened for Radiohead at Coachella in 2004, Thom Yorke was very open about how embarrassed he was of his band's headlining spot. Not so sure Jeff Tweedy will be as open, but you never know. I'm excited to get to see Nick Lowe play live after recently discovering his greatness (I was slow on this one), and Wilco is inevitably going to do well after releasing a very great new album this month. It's kind of sad that the outdoor concert season is winding down, so be sure to pack in as many summer shows as you can and make it special. Tickets for both shows are sold out, but keep your eye on craigslist and StubHub on the day of... I'm sure you'll be able to get a good deal.

The Descendents @ Roseland Ballroom
Friday, September 23

Shit, this is gonna be a great fucking show. The Descendents were one of the earliest punk bands (if not the first) to crossover to the skateboarding/pop-punk scene that emerged in the mid-to-late '80s. Chalk it up to their catchy hooks, slick production, and songs about having sex and puking. Yep, it's all there. It would be awesome to see them in a smaller venue like Bowery Ballroom or Maxwell's, but if their popularity demands they play the massive Roseland Ballroom, so be it. At least it's not Terminal 5. H20 and The Suicide Machines open. Tickets are sold out and StubHub's cheapest options are currently at $65, so craigslist may be your best bet. Good luck, it's gonna be a great one.

Malkmus @ Other Music (more)

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks @ Webster Hall
Sunday, September 25

This was a show we announced a long time ago, and although it seemed a little weird to me at the time for The Jicks to be playing the 3,000 capacity Terminal 5, in a post-Pavement reunion world, anything is possible. Except I suspect that just may have been the problem. Now that seeing Stephen Malkmus live is no longer the next best thing to seeing Pavement live (and hopefully you had the chance to do that last summer), something tells me he is not as in high demand as he used to be. Hence the moving of this show to the smaller (but still pretty huge) Webster Hall. I, for one, am not complaining at all. The recently released Mirror Traffic is a fine album, and after catching the band's stripped down performance at Other Music a few weeks ago I'm really excited to see the band at its full potential. Tickets are still on sale.

Notable mentions:
The Rapture @ Webster Hall - Friday, September 23 (Tickets)
The Human League / Men Without Hats @ Best Buy Theater - Friday, September 23 (Tickets)

There you go. Tons of stuff happening to get your nostalgia fix this week. Be sure to check out the playlist we made for This Week's Nostalgia on Spotify and subscribe to it so you have new songs to listen to each week. If there are any shows you feel we missed this week, let us know about it in the comments below. Until next time...

The Music Tapes announce tour with Olivia Tremor Control, released new EP

When people say the Elephant Six Collective are an incestuous group of musicians, what they mean is: "My god these fucking people are attached at the hip!" In what I’m sure could be proven by someone with a doctorate in “Obscure ‘90s Psychedelic Pop,” any time a member of the E6 is up to something (a tour, an album, decorating an apartment), another member of the E6 is at all times within a maximum radius of twelve feet away. Case in point: Julian Koster (who recently played in the Elephant Six Holiday Surprise Tour, and was also a touring member of some group called Neutral Milk Hotel) and his band The Music Tapes will hit the road in August on a tour opening for E6 stalwarts The Olivia Tremor Control. Shocker.

The Music Tapes’ tour will hit NYC at the previously mentioned Le Poisson Rouge show opening for the OTC on September 21, for which you can still grab a ticket. And in case you wanted to freshen up on the group, you can download the brand new Music Tapes digital EP Purim’s Shadows which is available now in the Merge Store, and anywhere else digital music is sold. Yep, even at the recently launched US version of Spotify, so head to our Facebook page where we are sharing Purim’s Shadows right now if you have an account. And believe me, you should definitely have an account! But if you do happen to go with ordering from the Merge Store (and we do love supporting one of our favorite indie labels), you will receive a special limited-edition Music Tapes Kazoo (see below), a bonus track, and what Merge describes as a “special surprise from Julian Koster himself.” I’m all for the first two goodies, but that last part just sounds creepy…

Below, check out all of the Music Tapes’ tour dates, with all but one date opening for The Olivia Tremor Control, and also get a look at what these “Music Tapes” kazoos look like…

Photos: The Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour @ Le Poisson Rouge

The Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour hit the Knitting Factory on 3/21 & 3/22 and then Le Poisson Rouge on 3/23. The seminal indie-rock collective played close to a four hour set on their final New York City stop of the tour, shuffling through a vast catalogue of favorites from Elf Power, the Gerbils, Music Tapes and of course, Olivia Tremor Control. I didn't notice any Neutral Milk Hotel songs, and if Jeff Mangum was in attendance (as was reported during the Knitting Factory shows), he didn't make an appearance onstage. Upon the band's return from intermission, four audience members were given the chance to throw a styrofoam snowball through a paper moon. The fourth contestant finally got it, and he was given the chance to request the band play any song outside of the E6 family of bands. He chose a Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf". Full set of photos below!