Saturday, December 26, 2009

Neutral Milk Hotel - "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" Vinyl LP

Neutral Milk Hotel - "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" Vinyl LP
MRG136
Elephant 6
Original Release - 1998


I had a crazy dream last night. So when I woke up, I naturally put on Neutral Milk Hotel's "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea". Listening to this work of effective lo-fi minimalism, takes you away to a wondrous land in your own head. I find it soothing, a dreamy work of various images and people, woven with psychedelic lyrics and musical arrangements that are strange and wonderful at the same time. They push you away, only to pull you back in the next moment. A "fuzz-folk" soundscape from start to finish, its no wonder many consider this to be the album of the 90's.

When you think of the great albums of the 90's, if My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" and Radiohead's "O.K. Computer" come to mind before Nirvana's "Nevermind", this is an album you need to check out immediately. On par with the vast sound experimentation of "Loveless", and the post-modern nightmare that is "O.K. Computer", this album leaves the listener with a feeling of hope, even though it is an album inspired by the despair and hopelessness of the Holocaust. Jeff Magum has said many times this album is inspired by the diaries of Ann Frank, but inspired in the key word. If you are looking for lyrical content that would point directly to this inspiration you may need to look elsewhere, the lyrics in this album are vast, seemingly random, and very cryptic. I could see how someone could find hope in the songs and despair at the same time.

My favorite tracks include "The King Of The Carrot Flowers Pt. One", and "Two Headed Boy Pt. Two". This vinyl edition is packaged beautifully in a card-stock shell with an anti-static liner for the LP. Includes lyric sheet and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl. After a thorough cleaning, the record played nicely, with a few pops at the end during "Two Headed Boy Pt. Two". Overall, a nice way to experience this album, it also comes with the mp3 download codes.


Album - B+

Vinyl - B

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