Saturday, May 7, 2011

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

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

About
Originally released on February 10, 1998, this album became the defining release in the short-lived and posthumously ongoing career of Neutral Milk Hotel. I say posthumously ongoing because after the album the band went on a hiatus that has yet to see an end.  The album has marched its way from relative obscurity upon release (due to little interest from listeners) to garnering honors like #2 on Amazon.com's 100 greatest indie rock albums of all time. The vinyl pressing of the album was the sixth-best-selling vinyl album in 2008. All of these accolades are nice, but they cannot even begin to describe the influence that the album has had on music in general. A personal favorite reference was one by Jesse Lacey of the band Brand New in an audio interview that he gave. Lacey stated that upon first listening to the album he thought that it was O.K. and went on with listening to other albums. He continued by saying that later on he gave the album another listen and fell in love with it. He stated that the album is one of a few that he takes on tour with him. This type of influence is well merited as the album impresses with a sound that soars and swells from the highest highs to the lowest lows. A trip through the spectrum of sound guided by the one and only Jeff Magnum

The Sound
This album has a unique sound that swells to become as large as the listener can handle. The instrumentation is varied and varies by song. The album flows so well from beginning to end that one might mistake it for one epic track that carries over between individual songs. The album has a truly indie sound to it that brings in the likes of folk rock with soaring guitars and even a vibraphone. The album is truly diverse and offers an experience that few listeners will soon forget. The lyrics are often vague, which has been cited as a negative for the album, but which I feel adds to the motif of the album. The story is one that encompasses that trials that many faced during World War II and thus is equally as vague. Overall the sound defines a landmark for indie music. 

The Verdict
*Warning this album is not for the casual listener. 
This album is an album that has had an impact on me personally and as such I will try not to be biased when giving out a grade. I will say only that the album is something that, if given a chance few will dislike (outside of those who do not like this type of music obviously). 

I give this album a 4.5 - 5 


The speaker continues to speak.

44 comments:

  1. Oh man, this is one of my favourite albums by them. King of Carrot Flowers!

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  2. Love this band :)

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  3. Woah, I forgot all about these guys.

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  4. very good review..will follow

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  5. So, because I am a casual listener I should refrain from listening, or just listen to it over and over until it becomes and acquired taste?

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  6. Very interesting, but...yeah I have horrible taste in music so I don't think I can appreciate it...

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  7. Absolutely very interesting....will give them a closer inspection.

    +1 followed to widen my musical horizon!

    check out my blog aswell! :)

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  8. I've heard this album discussed about 5000 times.

    I've seen that cover art about 500 times.

    Yet, I still haven't listened to a single song.

    Time to change that.

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  9. I swear I've seen this picture before and I never knew what it was from. Like your blog, follow'd

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  10. Haven't heard of this band.. it has a really interesting name! Thanks for sharing. I need to check them out.

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  11. I'd give it a 4.5 dude. I like your blog, you should check mine out at happy1to10.blogspot.com

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  12. Excellent review I am willing to listen to it and report back what I think!

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  13. I never heard of this o-O But I'll check it out. Thanks for the review :]

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  14. Love checking out different stuff, will check it out asap thanks.

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  15. This is relevant to my interests. My Morning Coffee's are more enjoyable now that I follow you my brother.

    Thank you!

    http://stewdiostix.blogspot.com

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  16. I like it when bands make an album with a good track-to-track flow. I'll check this out!

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  17. Havent heard of em yet, but they sound okay! Thanks man.

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  18. I can respect this music, but not my type.

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  19. Hmm.. I'll give it a listen when I get the chance. Always willing to give something a try.

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  20. Man, I absolutely love that song. Good post.

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  21. I normally have albums on shuffle, I do enjoy ones taht flow a whole lot more

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  22. great album! following!

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  23. I'm going to give them a listen.

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  24. Having a listen now, great post

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  25. I love your reviews! Please keep them coming!

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  26. Your reviews are brilliant buddy! Keep 'em coming!

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  27. Great band, been listening to them for awhile now.

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  28. Nice post, Thanks for enlightening my taste of music once again! :)

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  29. Listened on grooveshark, great music.

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  30. Never heard about this before, but to hear about the great impact got me interested. It sounds pretty special, but in the good kind of way!

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