For years Julian Koster fronted the art-rock band Chocolate U.S.A. in New York City, but by its second full-length release, Smoke Machine, he was already becoming absorbed into the Elephant 6 scene (prompting him to give a shout-out to the collective during one of the tracks' fuzz-jam outros). His carefully considered contribution to Elephant 6 was an experiment in shedding the bonds of rock and roll and retreating into a more innocent and deliberately childlike point of view. As The Music Tapes, Julian was emulating the sort of personal radio programs he had made in the past--first as teenage symphonies on cassette, then for a community radio station. (In fact, the band's second full-length would be a storybook with no songs whatsoever.) With Phantom Tollbooth-style storytelling as his new artistic focus, he began a series of tours as the Orbiting Human Circus, with an elaborate stage show involving flickering television sets and unusual instruments such as his infamous singing saw. Robbie Cucchario became his primary collaborator, although Andy Gonzales of Marshmallow Coast was invited to tour with him, and featured players on the Music Tapes' first album, The 1st Imaginary Symphony for Nomad, include Olivia Tremor Control members Will Cullen Hart and Eric Harris, and fellow Neutral Milk Hotel members Jeff Mangum and Scott Spillane.

The first precursor to the 1st Imaginary Symphony is a single released on Elephant 6, "'Please Hear Mr. Flight Control' b/w 'Smoke is a Fireman's Friend.'" While Side A is a Chocolate U.S.A.-styled rock song, Side B really establishes the universe of The Music Tapes by evoking the scratchy broadcast of a spooky radio program from the 1930's. (A follow-up single, "'The Television Tells Us' b/w 'Freeing Song for Reigndeer,'" directly set the stage for the events of The 1st Imaginary Symphony.) Today's featured MP3s are both sides of the first single. You can view artwork from the single here, and custom wallpaper taken from the single's posters can be found here.

Please Hear Mr. Flight Control
Smoke is a Fireman's Friend