Though the Music Tapes are seen primarily as a spinoff from the Elephant 6 music collective, which includes bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, the Olivia Tremor Control and the Apples in Stereo, they began as the brainchild of Julian Koster. As a 16 year-old, Koster conceived of his early recordings, like the "Silly Putty Symphony" as a surreal sound-world to escape into and share with friends. This motivation also fueled Koster's band at the time, Chocolate USA, which eventually evolved into the Elephant 6 projects, including Neutral Milk Hotel, in which Koster performed as a multi-instrumentalist. When he decided to resurrect the Music Tapes in 1995, Koster enlisted the help of Jeremy Barnes, another member of Neutral Milk Hotel. Their first single Please Hear Mr. Flight Control was released three years later, and featured a variety of antique instruments, sounds and instruments, as well as pop-up artwork. The 1999 debut alblum 1st Imaginary Symphony For Nomad had a similar aesthetic: a wax cylinder recorder and a wire recorder were used to record it, and a supplemental comic book was also included. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide