Over the last couple of years, perhaps the only E6 parlor game more popular than “when will that second Circulatory System album come out?” (followed rapidly by “when will that Circulatory System bonus LP come out?”) is “when will the Major Organ and the Adding Machine DVD/Expanded CD come out?”  But, honestly, the great thing about Elephant 6 is that they usually make it worth the long wait (and those gaps are filled with so many of Montreal and Robert Schneider-related releases that the wait doesn’t really matter all that much).  Anyway, at long last the Major Organ and the Adding Machine re-release has been announced, but first a history: the 2001 album was one of the flagship releases of the Athens-based Orange Twin Records label, draped in the E6 logo and featuring an all-star cast from the E6-East universe, though none of them were named on the album.  (Nonetheless, it was pretty easy to recognize that prominent members of Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, The Music Tapes, of Montreal, and Elf Power were contributing.)  The CD drifted out of print, though the LP remained generally available.  Although initial reviews of the concept album – a harrowing mix of avant-garde sound collages and psych-rock – were mixed, with some being very harsh, over the past nine years it has deservedly developed wider admiration and the requisite cult following.  For the 2008 Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise tour, Eric Harris  (OTC, Elf Power)  would begin each evening’s program with a screening of the Major Organ and the Adding Machine short film, which he co-directed with Joey Foreman: a years-in-the-works cross between music video and experimental children’s fantasy, telling the story of Madam Truffle, a bunch of people with beards, a giant lobster, and, um, other things that happen.  (It’s all great fun.)  A DVD was announced and then postponed, and postponed, and postponed again.

Now Pitchfork has announced the real deal: on September 14, Orange Twin Records will release the deluxe Major Organ and the Adding Machine reissue, which will feature the complete album plus seven bonus tracks, bundled with a DVD of the film and bonus features such as music videos, live footage, and other E6-related projects, perhaps some of which were featured in the Eric Harris-curated E6 film program which screened last year in Athens.

Conclusion: Viva Francisco! (Thanks to Kathy with a K for the head’s-up.)

Julian Koster’s house-to-house Christmas caroling tour is currently scheduled to hit the following cities on these dates:

Confirmed Caroling Path:
12/5 – Atlanta / Rome, GA
12/6 – Nashville, TN (early) / Louisville, KY
12/7 – Indianapolis, IN (early) / Champaign, IL
12/8 – Chicago, IL
12/9 – Kalamazoo, MI (early) / Detroit, MI (and area)
12/10 – Toledo, OH (early) / Cleveland, OH
12/11 – Buffalo, NY (early) / Geneseo, NY
12/12 – Ithaca, NY (early) / Monterrey, MA / Easthampton & Northampton, MA (late-night)
12/13 – Boston, MA (and area)
12/14 – Providence, RI (and area)
12/15 – Riverside, CT / Purchase, NY / Marlboro, NY
12/16 – New York City, NY
12/17 – New York City, NY (and area)
12/18 – Manalapan, NJ (early) / Philadelphia, PA
12/19 – Baltimore, MD (early) / Washington, DC
12/20 – Eagle Rock, VA (early) / Lynchburg, VA
12/21 – Chapel Hill, NC / Raleigh, NC
12/22 – Athens, GA

Merge says: To find out the address of one of the homes in your area who will be hosting the carolers, please email musictapescaroling@gmail.com for the address and general time of the performance. Invitations are still being accepted at musictapescaroling@gmail.com for Nashville, Louisville, Indianapolis, Champaign, Cleveland, Providence, Baltimore, D.C., and Chapel Hill/Durham.

MP3: Julian Koster – White Christmas

And courtesy the Merge Records blog, here is Julian performing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”:

Not personal enough? Not enough about you? Invite Julian and the singing saw to your home for Christmas caroling! Details here, and projected dates below:

December 7th, 8th, 9th: Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana & Lower Half of Illinois
December 10th, 11th, 12th: Chicago, Illinois, Michigan
December 13th, 14th, 15th: Ohio, Pittsburgh, Western NY
December 16th, 17th, 18th: Upstate NY, New England (CT, RI, VT etc)
December 19th, 20th, 21st: Philadelphia, NYC, Baltimore, DC, Chapel Hill

Last year saw one of the coolest little events in Elephant 6 history, as Julian Koster of The Music Tapes took Badger the Singing Saw (and his dog, and a friend) on a cross-country trip Christmas caroling from house to house. 

December 2009 will see round two. 

A tentative schedule has been posted at OrbitingHumanCircus.com.  Details as to how to get Julian to come to your home are posted therein as well.  (Thanks to David for the link.) Tour organizer Grant adds, “As a side note to everyone, if you would like to attend a caroling but cannot host yourself, still write in to musictapescaroling@gmail.com so that you’ll be informed of caroling houses in your town!”

If you’re not in this vicinity – or outside the U.S. – then I can only suggest picking up his holiday album, The Singing Saw at Christmastime, released last year on Merge Records and which inspired this rather wonderful event…

Merge Records has just reissued both of Neutral Milk Hotel’s classic albums, On Avery Island and In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, on 180-gram vinyl. Each order also comes with a free digital download of the album (which implies, improbably, that you don’t have these already). You can order them here.

In other NMH news, according to Merge, Julian Koster of The Music Tapes (and Neutral Milk Hotel) will be undertaking another Christmas carol tour this year.  More details will be announced soon!