The Music Tapes

The Music Tapes (the musical moniker of indie rock singer/songwriter) Julian Koster, who has a mild obsession with the noise created by playing a metal saw with a violin bow. This high-pitched, woozy sound is a common thread throughout Koster's rough-and-tumble style of American tin-pan alley music; and other instruments include a bowed banjo, wash pans, horns and a number of other kitschy kitchen-related products. Koster also spent an important part of his musical career recording with seminal indie rock band Neutral Milk Hotel where he provided his crackling, bygone-era production techniques. The Music Tapes released Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes in 2008 and offered to play Christmas carols through the month of December, 2010 in exchange for a meal and a place to sleep.