In the Aeroplane Over the Sea [180 Gram Vinyl]

by Neutral Milk Hotel

Overview

Perhaps best likened to a marching band on an acid trip, Neutral Milk Hotel's second album is another quixotic sonic parade; lo-fi yet lush, impenetrable yet wholly accessible, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is either the work of a genius or an utter crackpot, with the truth probably falling somewhere in between. Again teaming with producer Robert Schneider, Jeff Mangum invests the material here with new maturity and clarity; while the songs run continuously together, as they did on the previous On Avery Island, there is a much clearer sense of shifting dynamics from track to track, with a greater emphasis on structure and texture. Mangum's vocals are far more emotive as well; whether caught in the rush of spiritual epiphany ("The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two and Three") or in the grip of sexual anxiety ("Two-Headed Boy"), he sings with a new fervor, composed in equal measure of ecstasy and anguish. However, as his musical concepts continue to come into sharper focus, one hopes his stream-of-consciousness lyrical ideas soon begin to do the same; while Mangum spins his words with the rapid-fire intensity of a young Dylan, the songs are far too cryptic and abstract to fully sink in -- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is undoubtedly a major statement, but just what it's saying is anyone's guess. ~ Jason Ankeny

Product Details

Release Date:	11/03/2009
Label:	Merge
UPC:	0673855013619
Rank:	2878

Tracks

1. The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One
2. The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two &Three
3. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
4. Two-Headed Boy
5. The Fool
6. Holland, 1945
7. Communist Daughter
8. Oh Comely
9. Ghost
10. [Untitled]
11. Two-Headed Boy Pt. Two

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Neutral Milk Hotel   Primary Artist
Robert Schneider   Guest Artist
Jeremy Barnes   Organ,Drums
Scott Spillane   Trombone,Euphonium,Flugelhorn,Trumpet
Laura Carter   Zanzithophone
Jeff Mangum   Organ,Guitar,Vocals,Floor Tom,Bowed Bass,Shortwave Radio
Julian Koster   Accordion,Bowed Banjo,Singing Saw
Michelle Anderson   Uillean Pipes
Rick Benjamin   Trombone
Merisa Bissinger   Saxophone,Flugelhorn

Technical Credits

Robert Schneider   Producer
Jeremy Barnes   Composer
Scott Spillane   Composer,Horn Arrangements
Brian Dewan   Illustrations
Jeff Mangum   Tapes,Composer,Art Direction
Julian Koster   Composer
Chris Bilheimer   Art Direction