Julian Koster is known for, among other things, playing the singing saw. It’s a little like a cross between a violin, a Theremin and the human voice. Played with a bow or struck, a handsaw blade can be bent and manipulated to make haunting tones.
Koster is also known for being a member of Neutral Milk Hotel, a band whose 1998 record “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” is one of the albums that basically set the course for much of a certain type of poetic, baroque indie pop that has followed since. Add to that list the Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air), a theatrical podcast/show that Koster helps write, produce and performs in, along with his band the Music Tapes. It’s part Lemony Snicket, part Wes Anderson, part retro radio show.
There’s a storybook sensibility to the Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air). If you’re more into P.G. Wodehouse and H.G. Wells than Mark Moran and CNN, or if “This American Life” and “Prairie Home Companion” are too of-the-moment for you, or if you prefer a monocle to contact lenses, Koster’s Orbiting Human Circus might be the thing for you.
Julian Koster and the Orbiting Human Circus play at The Ballroom at the Outer Space, 295 Treadwell St., Hamden, Thursday, Nov. 17, at 9 p.m., $14 to $16. 203-288-6400 and thespacect.com.
