Neutral Milk Hotel "In An Aeroplane Over The Sea". The best INDIE album of all time?

[Brighton TID]

Neutral Milk Hotel "In An Aeroplane Over The Sea". The best INDIE album of all time?

Touted by many as the best.

Currently struggling to get into it, though. Should I persevere?

Is it really that good?

 

[culvers]

Love it! May not be the best ever, but its up there.

 

[Gwylan]

Fantastic album - it's the only rock/pop album on my MP3 player, that's how good it is

 

[Smithy]

Lyrics do not make much sense but according to some the album is about Anne Frank. Love the album.

 

[B.W.]

Brilliant, just brilliant!

 

[Brighton TID]

Lyrics do not make much sense but according to some the album is about Anne Frank. Love the album.

Where does the two headed boy fit in with Anne Frank or do I need to think more laterally?

 

[Aseros]

Indeed. Always been a keen lover of this band.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

It's brilliant but you don't have to like it because other people say you should.

I love of the Elephant 6 collective stuff... Olivia Tremor Control, Apples in Stereo, Elf Power. All that, like my psychedelic music though.

 

[Mellotron]

I know it's hard to, but can someone explain WHY it's such a good album?

 

[Brighton TID]

It's brilliant but you don't have to like it because other people say you should.

I love of the Elephant 6 collective stuff... Olivia Tremor Control, Apples in Stereo, Elf Power. All that, like my psychedelic music though.

I appreciate that, yes, but it is not what I would call an instant album so it could go either way for me. A lot of the best albums burn slowly, others just fade away and remain difficult.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

I know it's hard to, but can someone explain WHY it's such a good album?

It has some very mediocre reviews but its definitely an album that can get under your skin on repeated listens. The lyrics are some of the best.

And I know they buried her body with others
Her sister and mother and 500 families
And will she remember me 50 years later
I wished I could save her in some sort of time machine
Know all your enemies
We know who are enemies are

 

[Smithy]

Although not as good, their first album is still very good and well worth checking out.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Interesting fact about Oh Comely is that they were going to practice it/do multiple recordings a few times as its over 8 minutes long and they nailed it first time, you can hear someone in the background going oh SHIT. In the background at the end.

 

[Mr Banana]

I know it's hard to, but can someone explain WHY it's such a good album?

I will try to at some point if you like. Holland, 1945 and Two Headed Boy pt 2, best songs of all time? In heaven, ITAOTS plays on a loop, everybody is in love but happy to be alone and cigarettes don't kill you.

Mangum played Union Chapel last month. I found out the day after. I was so f***ed off I had to take half a day off work.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

I will try to at some point if you like. Holland, 1945 and Two Headed Boy pt 2, best songs of all time? In heaven, ITAOTS plays on a loop, everybody is in love but happy to be alone and cigarettes don't kill you.

Mangum played Union Chapel last month. I found out the day after. I was so f***ed off I had to take half a day off work.

I was just looking at their Wiki and realised Magnum curated ATP this year, feel like a bit of a cry.

 

[JamesAndTheGiantHead]

Once you get over how low-fi it is you can really appreciate it. Admittedly there are some weaker tracks, but once you read up a bit on Holland, 1945 and pay attention to the lyrics it will click. Makes me well up, that one.

King of Carrot Flowers part 1 is one of my favourite guitar riffs, and part 2 is deceptively brilliant. It starts like white noise and then around the 1.40 mark - BANG - you're in buisness. Plus I like that Jeff Mangum looks like a cross between Thurston Moore and Steve Buscemi.

 

[Gwylan]

I know it's hard to, but can someone explain WHY it's such a good album?

Apart from the enigmatic lyrics, what I really love about it is the demented instrumental arrangements. The album contains a variety of brass instruments, some old-fashioned organs, Irish pipes and some very rudimentary electronics - the combinations provide a very individual sound. I also like Mangum's voice, it sounds like he's constantly going to miss a note but he never does (I agree that it's not everyone's taste).

To me it sounds like an album from 1967 released in the 1990s - a total one-off.