Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Neutral Milk Hotel is an experimental indie and folk rock band from rustic Louisiana, they only came out with a couple albums from their very short discography and the second that they dropped, just so happens to be one of the most celebrated releases in underground music, released back in 1998, people still go nuts for this album. This album has a lot of great qualities, built out of inspiration from noise rock, from psychedelic rock and folk music. On top of that it’s colourfully arranged with singing saws, horns, accordions, keyboards, bagpipes as well and the usual suspects are here, the acoustic guitar, warm heavy distorted overblown bass with booming drums, these instruments compliments each other, which create a spiral of aggression with tenderness and beauty. Aeroplane has a daunting sadness that is hard to deny, and it’s hard to deny because it does not let up. The imagery is so vivid, how exactly does a person imagine a little boy in Spain playing pianos filled with flames?

The lyrics are what builds this really surreal world of two headed boys, ghosts, radio wire, tomatoes and rivals stories of books like Alice in Wonderland. The King of Carrot Flowers Pt.1 is a fantastic opener, it’s kind of like opening up a book, the transitions to Pt. 2 and Pt. 3 just start with this ominous drone that just layer and build up to something epic. This album brings a range of different feelings, it excites, depresses, soothes, inspires in one 40 minute listen and I will probably love it for my foreseeable future. If you haven’t heard this album definitely give it go.