Neutral Milk Hotel: Classic or Dud?

I'm siding with Steve here. Do we always have to look at everything through a lens of cool, critical detachment? Of course everyone's absolutely entitled to say "I prefer their first album" or "there are two or three good songs on Aeroplane, but that's it" - but you then surely need to accept that for a small percentage of the population, this record has an extraordinary, emotional power. Half the time I have no idea what Mangum is really singing about, but when this record catches me at the right time it has the power to reduce me to a quivering wreck and my response to it is one of pure and magical love. Is that "embarrassing"? Not to me.

ya i accept it. what do you want me to do about it, never think about this album critically because some people really like it a lot? that's true of a lot of albums! i'm sure people love lionel richie albums as much as you love neutral milk hotel!

I'm sure they do, too! I'd just humbly suggest that if "this guy's voice makes (you) want to jump out the window", you might perhaps not want to waste your time thinking about the album critically - in the same way that I don't want to waste my time thinking about the album critically because it fills me with a sense of wonder and purity.

It sounds like campfire songs with Jeff's see-saw voice. I can't get over how much I hate his voice and the vocal rhythm. However, his voice sounds like all the popular indie singers of today and even the nu-rock nasal screaming I hate.

sounds like all the popular indie singers of today
Really?

I love this album to pieces, if anyone doesn't, that's fine. I remember trying to write more about them when it came out, and they came over, and the response from the Melody Maker was that they sounded like the panpipe band in The Fast Show. I sort of understand peoples' ire against those who don't 'get' it, as a result, but it doesn't bother me much. one of the things I love about the record is that its unafraid to be 'embarassing'.

I still love In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, but I never thought it was perfect.

I think the opening track, "The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One," is perfect. The stretch of songs from 6-9, "Holland, 1945," "Communist Daughter," "Oh Comely," and "Ghost" is also pretty awesome.

so good

good yes, overrated also yes

hearing neutral milk hotel at ear-splitting volume was what made me decide never to go back to Soda (the bar) on indie rock night, no matter how good the burger is.

http://images.emusic.com/music/images/album/284/114/070/11407007/600x600.jpg

fyi

^^i saw this the other day. i don't know what to make of it, but i laughed

the sunn o))) thing totally makes it imo

well that and the fact it is pure lol

hahahahaha

okay wow 1:12-1:14 in that video

Jeff Mangum was on Jeopardy the other day, I wonder if this means there's going to be an NMH reunion.

http://9001chan.org/mus/220/Courage-Wolf-hate-her-when-she-gets-up-to-leave-then-devour-her-with-your-two-heads.jpg

so Jeff Mangum is playing at the September ATP / Portishead I'll Be Your Mirror event in Asbury Park. This'll be his first 'official' performance in over a decade, right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ieeL9FWURM

got tickets for the boston show

http://www.southernsouls.ca/jeff-mangum/

^^some good audio from the current tour

really kicking myself for not getting tickets to one of the new england shows. :/ bummed

ty for the link!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BYbmckk9mU

^ shocked how close this sounds to the original!

hahaha i've seen that before

http://www.walkingwallofwords.com/

offical website announced today- theyre still working on it by the looks of it

but a holy fudging unreleased stuff boxset! and like loads of other awesome shit blah blah this band is my life.

awesome he's wearing a Municipal Waste shirt!

are the unreleased/unfamiliar things here "new" songs or archival? wondered if the guy actually still writes music. he's not playing anything except old stuff at these shows, right?

Wow, what the hell did I just watch?

But I'm gonna run off and put a SUNN 0))) sticker on my amp right now.

For the record, I like both NMH albums and nothing else of Elephant 6. Or the Fiery Furnaces.

Interesting to see Mr. Mangum is still playing live tracks, disappointed that they're all old stuff.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Trivia-Woody/218485604853038?v=info

so here's jeff's whole 'set' (i think) from his appearance at #occupywallst

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvLm01ruV00

http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz05eq01Gm1rp2lhyo1_500.png

<3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvb5nmmx714&context=C34b6f99ADOEgsToPDskJ-PzjSA9vjwPaNAnZzdfB0

I failed to see Mr Mangum at the just finished ATP.

http://www.lepoissonrouge.com/lpr_events/peoples-bailout/

i love this album, but i think it could definitely stand to be a bit less embarrassing.

― aaron d.g., Tuesday, February 12, 2008 11:46 PM (4 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This is perfect, hahaha

http://i.imgur.com/fzdMLQV.png

one of ILM's best threads:

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Poll

Back!

http://pitchfork.com/news/47783-neutral-milk-hotel-reunite-for-tour/

zzzzzzzzzzzzz

mangum was great last time i saw him. not sure how necessary the band is tbh

pretty necessary imo

i'd fucking go that's for sure

neutral milk hotel were fucking awesome when i saw them open for superchunk long long ago.

my gf listens to 'aeroplane' at least once a week but wasn't too excited by the idea of seeing dude solo. we'd both go see the full band though.

Not much of a "tour." Too bad no Cali dates...

i wonder if they'll be another album...

picturing a sleazy executive from merge, chomping on a cigar and encouraging them to "go electric," saying it'd be "like sufjan."