In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

[trains are bad]

I've listened to this CD like three times in the past 5 days. It's just so terribly good. I need more CDs as good as this. I'm trying to find Funeral, here's to hoping it's decent.

 

[Davey]

Yea, welcome to the magic world of Jeff Mangum. That album seems to be ripped from his insides like few others have ever managed to captute on record. The Arcade Fire put out a very good record in Funeral, but it's not at that same level, at least not on the debut. You really have to look to classic stuff by artists like Bob Dylan or the Pixies, things of that caliber. But Funeral is very good.

My favorite of recent times is the latest from Andrew Bird, The Mysterious Production of Eggs, but it's not that same type of emotional and autobiographical type of catharsis that makes Aeroplane so endearing to many of us. It's more about clever wordsmithing and sophisticated rhythms and melodicism. And amazing lyrical imagery. Apocalyptic tales about monsters and judgement, and pony rides and dancing bears, and ultimately a spiritual rebirth with the final exclamation, "there will be snacks, there will". Great stuff. Fun to be around these days when so much good music is getting made.

 

[jefemeister]

yeah, especially the track "comley." It's just too damn good to believe almost.

 

[shesmylovernow]

BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT

 

[AdamWill]

Great album. Actually, I like other NMH albums just as much, especially On Avery Island. Thing is, they don't have that fantastic guitar sound he managed to get on Aeroplane, that very slightly fuzzy, harsh, weird acoustic sound, so when you first listen to them they don't have the same impact as the first time you hear Aeroplane. But if you listen carefully the music and the lyrics are just as great.

One slightly oddball suggestion that I suspect many NMH fans would like - Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska. It's an album made up of tracks he recorded basically on his own with a guitar, a harmonica and a four-track, and it's utterly brilliant. Obviously they have very different voices, but I feel there's something similar in the _effect_ of the singing on both albums.

 

[Meifa]

I could just never get into this CD or this band, although everyone constantly fawns over it. I guess I'm just a philistine.

 

[ricardo diaz]

EXTRA SCENESTER POINTS FOR YOU.

It's okay.
Not that entirely great, but whatever floats your boat.

I don't dislike it, and I think it's good, but not a favorite.

I'm kinda picky like that.

=]

 

[gratefulshrink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trains are bad I've listened to this CD like three times in the past 5 days. It's just so terribly good. I need more CDs as good as this. I'm trying to find Funeral, here's to hoping it's decent.

Great album -- eccentric blend of poetic lyrics, emotional vocals, unusual instmentation. It's very easy to get lost in the music. Because it really is so unique, there isn't too much that will be very similar (except Avery Island as Adamwill mentioned).

I agree with Davey that you have to look back pretty far to find albums of similar character (gut-wrenching, catchy, organic). Perhpas Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. Or maybe Bowie's Hunky Dory. Or Neil Young's On the Beach. Just a few that come to mind.

 

[Nepenthe]

So maybe it doesn't quite deserve all the praise it gets, but I think it's really good. I know I've owned an album or three that have the same kind of impact, but I can't think of them right now...

I can see why this album is loved, whereas MBV's Loveless completely eludes me -- I think it's an album everyone pretends to revere highly, for appearances, all the while secretly not knowing what the hell is so good about it...

 

[Meifa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nepenthe I can see why this album is loved, whereas MBV's Loveless completely eludes me -- I think it's an album everyone pretends to revere highly, for appearances, all the while secretly not knowing what the hell is so good about it...

I really do like Loveless. I think, however, it's more of an ambient kind of listen than anything else. Like a lot of shoegazing stuff, I enjoy listening to it in bed.

As for similar bands to Neutral Milk Hotel, a lot of people mention the Decemberists in conjuction with them. Mind you, I don't really see the connection, but the Decemberists are a great band nonetheless.

 

[NightWoundsTime]

I've got this on vinyl and it's even better. Check out The Microphones for a somewhat similar style of production, with a little more subdued songwriting. Their album The Glow, Pt. 2 is the best place to start.

 

[Davey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gratefulshrink I agree with Davey that you have to look back pretty far to find albums of similar character (gut-wrenching, catchy, organic).

Yeah, the key word that we both use is "album". I could list a lot of songs from recent albums that have that kind of visceral emotion and unique production. Several come to mind by Okkervil River and British Sea Power and the Decemberists and the Old Canes and others that have much of that feel, but the reason this album has created such a groundswell over the years from both young and old music fans is because of the whole package, with that raw emotion and unique delivery for a complete work. It seemed to come out of nowhere for those of us that caught it back then. Sure, you had that type of production being used on many of the E6 bands with Robert Schneider at the helm, but none of them had a sound like this. Not even close. A lot of reviewers and fans at the time didn't really know what to make of it. It seems to be one of those works that needs a little perspective. I seem to recall when Spin put out their Top 90 of the 90s it barely made the list, way at the bottom. Almost an after thought. Probably gets discussed more than almost anything on that list and probably sells more records every year than most things on that list today too, almost 9 years after release

And as another measure of its impact, I just saw this news item a few days ago ...

The Continuum Books' eclectic 33 1/3 Series is a collection of "little books about great albums". The latest in the series, Kim Cooper's history of Neutral Milk Hotel's 'In the Aeroplane Over The Sea'. The book explores the band's friendships, its role within Elephant 6 and previously unpublished information on recordings, songwriting and touring. It also features interviews explaining some of the reasons why Jeff Mangum left public life just as his band was taking off. It also includes a dozen rare images.

Neutral Milk Hotel disbanded in 1998, not long after the release of the album. The album, however, continues to sell 25,000 copies a year and was reissued by England's Domino label in September.

Neutral Milk Hotel's 'In the Aeroplane Over The Sea' will be released on November 17th.