Prolific’s Album Of The Week: 10/12-10/18

Considering  that the reclusive  lead-singer of the defunct indie-rock band Neutral Milk Hotel, Jeff Mangum, has been seen touring with the Elephant 6 Crew on their “Holiday Surprise Tour,” we think it’s time to look back at the ’90s:

Album Of The Week: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel

The late ’90s heralded in one of the greatest music albums of all time, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel. Neutral Milk Hotel was formed in 1989 by members of The Elephant 6 Recording Company, a collective of musicians who grew up in Ruston, Louisiana. The group started as a solo project of Jeff Mangum, who did vocals and guitar.

Initial reviews of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea were mixed. A review in the College Music Journal called Aeroplane a “A true lo-fi pop landmark” and cited “Holland, 1945″ as a highlight. Pitchfork Media’s M. Christian McDermott gave the album an 8.7 out of 10, referring to Neutral Milk Hotel as “one psych-rock band making music that’s just as catchy as it is frightening” and said that the album “does a credible job of blending Sgt. Pepper with early 90’s lo-fi.” Since then, Pitchfork Media re-reviewed the album and gave it a perfect 10.0/10.0.

The album is filled with allusions to Anne Frank, and is noted as one of the most emotional and heartrending musical albums today.

The track listings include:
1. “The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One” - 2:00
2. “The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two & Three” (Jeremy Barnes, Julian Koster, Jeff Mangum, Scott Spillane) - 3:06
3. “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” - 3:22
4. “Two-Headed Boy” - 4:26
5. “The Fool” (Spillane) - 1:53
6. “Holland, 1945″ - 3:12
7. “Communist Daughter” - 1:57
8. “Oh Comely” - 8:18
9. “Ghost” - 4:08
10. (untitled) - 2:16
11. “Two-Headed Boy Pt. Two” - 5:13

Give it a listen, and then try to find them on tour! Here’s are three videos of Mangum performing live on the “Holiday Surprise Tour”:

“The Opera House”

“I Have Been Floated”

“The Arrow Flies Close”