As reported by Spin, Music Tapes mastermind and former Neutral Milk Hotel bass/accordion/banjo/musical saw player Julian Koster has announced a new podcast that sounds exactly like the sort of thing a former Neutral Milk Hotel member would make. For starters, it’s called The Orbiting Human Circus (Of The Air), which gives off such a strong Neutral Milk Hotel-esque vibe that it could easily be the name of some wonderfully obscure pre-Aeroplane Over The Sea EP.
The podcast’s premise even fits pretty neatly alongside Neutral Milk Hotel’s fondness for old-fashioned theatrical imagery, with the Spin story explaining that it’s about a “mysteriously impossible variety show broadcast from the ballroom at the top of the Eiffel Tower.” It seems like the episodes will feature a mix of stories and Music Tapes songs, with appearances from Tim Robbins, Drew Callandar, Susannah Flood, Charlie Day, John Cameron Mitchell, and Mandy Patinkin. (Spin doesn’t say anything about this, but maybe even Jeff Mangum will stop by if we all wish hard enough.)
The Orbiting Human Circus (Of The Air) will be part of the Night Vale Presents network, which is the team behind the wildly popular Welcome To Night Vale podcast. The first episode will premiere on October 12, and new installments will be released every other week through February of next year. You can hear a short teaser below: