Mikael Jorgensen is the keyboardist for Wilco and James Merle Thomas is an art historian and curator, but by their powers combined, they are Quindar. Named for the transmission tones used in the Apollo space missions, the project utilizes archival audio and film captured by NASA in the ’60s and ’70s to create synchronized music and video projections, pairing sleek Space Age synthscapes with images depicting the mundane details of astronaut living.

Perhaps a description like this would suggest a dry and academic form of musique concrète, but the duo’s forthcoming debut album Hip Mobility is anything but, ranging from the ambient electronic tides of “Twin Pole Sunshade For Rusty Schweikart” to the space-lounge breeze of “Italian Conversation” to the malfunctioning-robot dance music of “Honeysuckle This Is Houston.” Setting aside the lofty conceptual framework, this is music that succeeds as music, and you can witness that success for yourself by pressing play below.

Hip Mobility is out 7/14 via Butterscotch Records. Pre-order it here.

CREDIT: Shawn Brackbill