― stevie, Sunday, 20 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I also can’t see how the lyrics are hateful, and I don’t think they exist to shock; I think they’re unironic, honest, loving – to the point where that skewed sincerity could be off-putting (and is, obviously). It is a "love it or hate it" album – you connect with it or you don’t, and that, to me, is more time than not a positive. I can see why people would have a strong connection to this record (and many of the other high-ranking selections in the ILM 100 from the Holy Bible to 69LS to Man-Machine) regardless of whether I enjoy them or not.
If I may, about the lyrics: Mangum uses a number of words repeatedly, seemingly in a oblique way (among them: spine, mouth, sweet, cheek, sink, tongue, teeth, face, smile.) Lyrically, the album traces a personal history of pain, loss, and disappointment from an unhappy family life to attempts at comfort through sexual awakening, religious epiphany and a belief in the invincibility of youth to the experience of reading the Diary of Anne Frank and Mangum’s connection to her hope despite inevitable death to the plight of a "Two-Headed Boy" who longs for some sensual, human connection despite his being birthed to a life of almost inevitable loneliness. Throughout, these seemingly unrelated words above are peppered amidst alternating stream-of-consciousness lyrics and very lucid observations about the pain of both Mangum and his characters.
Then, at the end, the final song is about the suicide of a friend, and all of those words are used in context, it’s the moment where Mangum isn’t transferring that fresh pain to memories or moments of hurt that he has had the opportunity to reconcile. And when he pleads, "Push the pieces in place /Make your smile sweet to see /Don't you take this away / I'm still wanting my face on your cheek" it’s almost as if he is pushing all of those scattered lyrical pieces from the previous songs together, allowing himself the chance to grieve for what is causing his hurt, and then it’s too much and he retreats back into character and the album closes with him comforting the two-headed boy as he worries that he’ll never feel true human contact and love, warning him that when and if he does not to lament that it’s ultimately fleeting.
Again, apologies for the length of this.
― scott p., Monday, 21 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Tom, Monday, 21 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I've officially even bored myself on this topic.
― Stevie Nixed, Monday, 21 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Monday, 21 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― , Monday, 21 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Josh, Monday, 21 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Stevie Nixed, Tuesday, 22 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
"Tenk You Veddy Much"
michael g. breece
― michael g. breece, Sunday, 1 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Josh, Sunday, 1 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― gareth, Sunday, 1 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― matt, Saturday, 7 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Melissa W, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Mark, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― dleone, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― alex in mainhattan, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
1) I think Jeff's a tremendous performer & has a way with a certain kind of melody -- though I think he'd do well to explore some minor keys, occasional seventh-chords, etc
2) I think he's a talented lyricist with a real gift for the rhythms of words within a line
3) I think since he's chosen to make the sort of music that attracts not just fans but people who develop a real emotional attachment to & need for his stuff, he owes them more new material than he seems willing to deliver; I have strong feelings about this as I feel an artist's most important responsibility is to his listeners, and that if you can't write at least five songs a year of you-at-your-best, then you're not trying hard enough
4) "Two-Headed Boy" is a great great great indie rock song, just a great song period; I think if Jeff believed that discipline were a virtue, which he doesn't, he'd be routinely writing some of the great songs of the age
5) Jeff's a prince of a human being, and I don't believe in separating the artist from his output but rather that the one is a reflection of the other: therefore,
CLASSIC
― John Darnielle, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
This probably should be another thread (I think it is already, actually!) -- I don't believe in this myself. Mr. M not being the subject under discussion here, I should note! I haven't ever met the man, so no point in my judging him on this point. But I've meet some friendly, fine folks who make music that Annoys and Outrages Me Deeply and I've encountered some standoffish idjits who Brought the Rock or whatever.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Nate-o, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― ethan, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Lately I've been listening to live stuff, the acoustic set from Aquarius, to be exact. Lots of good unreleased stuff--"My Dream Girl Don't Exist" ; "Oh, Sister" ; "Rubby Bulbs". The demos are decent as well; some more than others. The tape collage stuff is kind of blah, and the noisy jokey stuff ("Chocolate Coffin"?!?! wtf?!?!) is pretty bad. But then you get grebt unreleased tracks like "Circle of Friends," "Wishful Eyes" and "Wood Guitar."
Right now I'm looking for other live stuff (the show with "Ferris Wheel on Fire" ; is that the one from the Cat's Cradle?) and the "Invent Yrself A Shortcake" demo, which I had aeons ago but somehow lost. slsk doesn't work in my dorm, so I can't get things that way--alas.
― Ian Johnson (orion), Sunday, 1 February 2004 21:15 (twenty years ago) link
― Llahtuos Kcin (Nick Southall), Sunday, 1 February 2004 21:54 (twenty years ago) link
― MerkinMuffley (MerkinMuffley), Sunday, 1 February 2004 21:57 (twenty years ago) link
I don't really know why I like NMH, or why I like his voice. It doesn't seem like it should be all that affecting to me, but it is-- at least the songs I've heard so far. I relate to what seems to be an elaborate personal mythology running through the songs, and like how he uses language.
― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Sunday, 1 February 2004 22:15 (twenty years ago) link
"...laughing at everyone I see / can't believe / how strange it is to be / anything at all...."
I don't know why that line resonates so strongly with me, but it really, really does.
So, classic.
I heard a rumor from a reputable source that Robert Schneider of the Apples in Stereo is trying to get Jeff Magnum to record again.
― roger adultery (roger adultery), Sunday, 1 February 2004 22:28 (twenty years ago) link
― keith m (keithmcl), Sunday, 1 February 2004 22:39 (twenty years ago) link
― MerkinMuffley (MerkinMuffley), Sunday, 1 February 2004 22:49 (twenty years ago) link
If anyone gets a chance to see the film, it's well worth it for the music alone.
― roger adultery (roger adultery), Sunday, 1 February 2004 22:51 (twenty years ago) link
I thought you knew that already!
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 1 February 2004 22:54 (twenty years ago) link
― nickn (nickn), Sunday, 1 February 2004 23:03 (twenty years ago) link
― MerkinMuffley (MerkinMuffley), Sunday, 1 February 2004 23:05 (twenty years ago) link
― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 14 June 2004 01:37 (nineteen years ago) link
The interview from Creative Loafing, above, is terribly sad. I hope things come together for Jeff.
― Layna Andersen (Layna Andersen), Monday, 14 June 2004 02:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― nickn (nickn), Monday, 14 June 2004 05:09 (nineteen years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 14 June 2004 12:29 (nineteen years ago) link
― m. (mitchlnw), Monday, 14 June 2004 12:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 14 June 2004 13:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 14 June 2004 13:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 14 June 2004 13:27 (nineteen years ago) link
I find this disturbing:
"In his music, I found both mythological nourishment and a nudge toward hope that some piece of life doesn't perish with the body and the brain.
So, of course, the one album wasn't enough. I wanted more."
And then this sets him off on some kind of "Roger and Me" odyssey to find the man behind the music. The guy nees to read some Thich Nhat Hanh or listen to Pete Townshend's "A Little is Enough".
― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 14 June 2004 13:58 (nineteen years ago) link
1) "owe them" new work? no, I guess not, but it's pretty unsporting not to make the effort2) old songs in concert? emphatically yes. "Musician" is a job for which one gets paid. You get hired based on the strength of work you've demonstrated you're capable of doing (i.e., the hits). You ain't gotta play all the hits every time, but fuck a band that thinks people ONLY came to hear the new stuff/whichever way the muse is leading them. People paid to get in. You shouldn't take their money if you're not willing to give them some of what they paid for.3) throw raw meat? my vegetarian stance on this matter is well known
I'm just so tired of the notion that Artists Must Do What Artists Will Do! The people who suppport artists are as much part of the artist's work as are the growth experiences that the artist brought to the table when he/she had no listeners. I think the debt artists owe their public is routinely undervalued, and that it's artists who've made a point of furthering the notion that "the artist is responsible only to his art," which I think is baloney. If you're only responsible to your art, then keep it to yourself.
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 14 June 2004 14:04 (nineteen years ago) link
― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 19 September 2005 21:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 19 September 2005 21:27 (eighteen years ago) link
― cdwill, Monday, 19 September 2005 21:30 (eighteen years ago) link
― Stew (stew s), Monday, 19 September 2005 21:34 (eighteen years ago) link
That said board was called "I Love Music".
― PappaWheelie B.C., Monday, 19 September 2005 21:43 (eighteen years ago) link
oops. sold out too. fortunately i got one.
― mike a, Friday, 10 May 2013 17:21 (ten years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exRvC0jYOzE
― 乒乓, Monday, 13 May 2013 12:00 (ten years ago) link
seems like it would be hard to play the ukulele wearing fur gloves. sometimes i feel like my fingers are already too big. kudos to that guy.
― Treeship, Monday, 13 May 2013 12:06 (ten years ago) link
Tickets for the January 2014 D.C. show sold out too quick for me. I tried but couldn't get through. Stubhub already has some-- not sure I want to pay $80 a ticket
― curmudgeon, Friday, 2 August 2013 14:40 (ten years ago) link
Just saw them in Jersey City. Thankful there was no gigantic singalong. Such an odd band to become so big.
― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 15 January 2014 05:04 (ten years ago) link
Hey, me too! I was behind the bar loading drinks for the bartenders. Got to watch the show in full afterwards too! Yeah the audience was not as sappy as I'd imagined they'd be.
― Evan, Wednesday, 15 January 2014 05:16 (ten years ago) link
i remember a feeling of dread when i checked that indiepop list in the late 90s , that band was "happening" there. i bounced as they say.
― Sébastien, Wednesday, 15 January 2014 05:19 (ten years ago) link
If there's one thing I've learned from the oughts, it's that breaking up / losing your mind / retiring forever at some point is the best thing one can do for one's career.
Don't forget dying, that's still a classic move
― L'Haim, to life (St3ve Go1db3rg), Wednesday, 15 January 2014 15:18 (ten years ago) link
Friend tweeted from that show "Yes, everyone is old."
― eclectic husbandry (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 15 January 2014 16:01 (ten years ago) link
saw them over the weekend and it was pretty magical. a surprising number of young kids there, who apparently waited out in the cold all day to get up front (which, it turned out, was totally unnecessary since all the olds were happy to hang out in the tiered seating). i was really impressed at how tight they were, the level of musicianship on that stage is super high. i'll bet they're a way better band than they were in the '90s.
JM was rocking a giant grey beard and kept his hat over his eyes the whole time but sounded spot-on.
― festival culture (Jordan), Monday, 10 February 2014 17:20 (ten years ago) link
"I was really impressed at how tight they were, the level of musicianship on that stage is super high."
Yes! Much more commanding and professional than I was expecting, and I've seen them all perform in other projects over the years.
― Evan, Monday, 10 February 2014 17:28 (ten years ago) link
the drummer and the multi-instrumentalist (jeremy & julian iirc) are particularly great.
― festival culture (Jordan), Monday, 10 February 2014 17:30 (ten years ago) link
Recent DC show sold out fast, but they're coming back to a big shed this summer.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 10 February 2014 17:32 (ten years ago) link
Saw them last night - echoing the comments above, couldn't believe how well they played. I was pretty dubious about seeing a band that I'd cared so much about in 2000, but it was still amazing.
― toby, Thursday, 22 May 2014 09:46 (nine years ago) link
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Seahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH3CRVVBL9oI cried all day long after I saw this music video for the first time.didn't care for any other songs on this album, haven't heard any of their others.
my playlists cataloging the best songs of each decade http://postmusicindustry.blogspot.com
― TabForaCause.com, Thursday, 22 May 2014 10:13 (nine years ago) link
we laughed, we cried, we spammed
― ςὖτ ιτ Οὖτ (some dude), Thursday, 22 May 2014 10:23 (nine years ago) link
http://the-toast.net/2014/10/22/songs-neutral-milk-hotel-album-reference-holocaust/
― everybody loves lana del raymond (s.clover), Saturday, 25 October 2014 21:12 (nine years ago) link
i was really impressed at how tight they were
well, if you only write, like, 22 songs over the course of a quarter century, I assume you get those songs down pretty good at some point
― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Saturday, 25 October 2014 23:56 (nine years ago) link
Who wouldn't get off on being revered like a Christ figure? Dude does not need to write another song in his life. ITAOTS is perfect and only gets better.
― Pentenema Karten, Thursday, 30 October 2014 18:22 (nine years ago) link
huh I could've sworn its stayed p much exactly the same since it was released
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 30 October 2014 18:24 (nine years ago) link
its so strange that he doesn't write songs anymore. I figured some new stuff would emerge after the tours he did, but he's still playing all old stuff isnt he?
― prince moth mothy moth moth (cajunsunday), Thursday, 30 October 2014 18:30 (nine years ago) link
that well is drty
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 30 October 2014 18:40 (nine years ago) link
also dry
I figured some new stuff would emerge after the tours he did
i could see that making it even harder to write new songs.
― festival culture (Jordan), Thursday, 30 October 2014 18:49 (nine years ago) link
For a Milk Hotel to be Neutral, at a time like this, is unconscionable— David Spector (@spectordeforce) January 10, 2021
― nickn, Monday, 11 January 2021 18:27 (three years ago) link
A funny tweet thread.
― nickn, Monday, 11 January 2021 18:28 (three years ago) link