Search - Neutral Milk Hotel :: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

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V. Karen Smith | NYC, NY | 06/09/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to say that whereas I love Neutral Milk Hotel, I have a very strong connection to Athens, GA and the music out of Athens-Clarke County. Neutral Milk Hotel is a reflection of the emotionally-charged Jeff Mangum and his time spent in Athens.



I won't lie: I prefer On Avery Island. I remember these songs debuting at a coffee shop with just him and a guitar (which can now be found on Jeff Mangum - Live At Jittery Joe's), before this LP ever had a face. I remember these songs at the Atomic Music Hall in the late 90's, and it was brilliant.



What I don't like, however, is how NMH "fans" are just fans of THIS LP. There's a lot of bootleg stuff that exceeds the quality of this record. Invent Yourself A Shortcake, Hype City, Everything Is, and the Shannon Monroe House Demos volumes 1 and 2. Most of these songs were written before On Avery Island, and you can find them under different track names. "My Dreamgirl Don't Exist" and "She Did A Lot Of Acid" are essential NMH songs.



I have very good memories of this band. I'm glad "hipsters" (or whatever the hell they're called) enjoy this album, but please, do us Athenians a favor, don't spoil the soup. Listen to their other stuff, too. You'll probably like it. While you're at it, check out The Gerbils, The Olivia Tremor Control, The Apples In Stereo, Vic Chesnutt, R.E.M, Love Tractor, (older) Of Montreal, and The Music Tapes. Athens is so vibrant in music and this is just a very small sliver of a very large #7 at the Taco Stand."

FINALLY! Someone got the story of Anne Frank right!

Rayscann | 06/23/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The problem I've had with "The Diary of Anne Frank" isn't the fact that the story isn't compelling (it is!). It's just that when you read it, it's obvious the author (Ms. Frank) has a very adolescent and limited view of the world. It's like she spends all her time in an attic or something. Also, there's no distance or irony in anything she says. It's just soooo obvious that she's never read Foucault or taken a Comparative Lit class.



Which is why "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel is such a delight. This wonderful concept album about Anne Frank captures Anne's existence and story far better than any other text on the subject... especially because they never mention her specifically by name. In art, the less you talk about something specifically, the more it's actually about the thing you're not mentioning. When vocalist Jeff Magnum proclaims "I love you, Jesus Christ" over and over again in the song "The King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 2," he finally brings a universality to Anne's story that has been sorely missing. (Finally, I can relate!) If Anne Frank were alive today, she would undoubtedly pull her diary from publication and emphatically state "Everything I have to say has been said better by Mr. Magnum. If you want to know the real me, buy this album ... on vinyl ... preferably a used copy in very good condition at a Goodwill that some foolish employee put in the $1 bin. Then ... and only then ... you'll know."







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