So, as promised in the last post, although about a half a day late, our third album in the Albums That Will Change Your Life (and Where to Buy Them) series is none other than Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane over the Sea. It is no surprise that Blender would place it in the #32 slot on their top indie-rock albums ever list. Ever since it was first released in February 1998, In The Aeroplane over the Sea has received critical acclaim.
So what makes the album so important? The fact of the matter is that Neutral Milk Hotel's frontman Jeff Magnum was able to carve out a lo-fi masterpeice surrounding a concept of the life and tragic death of Anne Frank. Does this topic sound a bit heavy for a rock n' roll album? Yes. But it works because of Magnum's mastery of the lyric. Take "Holland, 1945" for instance:
"The only girl I've ever loved/Was born with roses in her eyes/But then they buried her alive/One evening, 1945/With just her sister at her side/ And only weeks before the guns All came and rained on everyone/Now she's a little boy in Spain Playing pianos filled with flames/On empty rings around the sun/All sing to say my dream has come."
Magnum sings with a fiery passion throughout the albums 12 songs and is accompanied by a plethora of instruments (from trumpets, to organs, to flugelhorns and even a zanzithophone) that give the album it's unique sound that Pitchfork Media described as "blending St. Pepper with 90's lo-fi."
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea has become a cult classic in the indie world, garnering a reissue in 2005. While many record stores around the country make sure to stock their vinyl sections with Neutral Milk Hotel, your best and easiest bet is clicking right here paying your measly $10.99 plus shipping and thanking Vinyl Revival for letting you in on one of the most influential, yet unfortunately overlooked bands ever.
Now enjoy some favorite artists of ours, Kevin Devine, Manchester Orchestra and Brand New collaborate together live playing Netural Milk Hotel's "Holland, 1945."
So what makes the album so important? The fact of the matter is that Neutral Milk Hotel's frontman Jeff Magnum was able to carve out a lo-fi masterpeice surrounding a concept of the life and tragic death of Anne Frank. Does this topic sound a bit heavy for a rock n' roll album? Yes. But it works because of Magnum's mastery of the lyric. Take "Holland, 1945" for instance:
"The only girl I've ever loved/Was born with roses in her eyes/But then they buried her alive/One evening, 1945/With just her sister at her side/ And only weeks before the guns All came and rained on everyone/Now she's a little boy in Spain Playing pianos filled with flames/On empty rings around the sun/All sing to say my dream has come."
Magnum sings with a fiery passion throughout the albums 12 songs and is accompanied by a plethora of instruments (from trumpets, to organs, to flugelhorns and even a zanzithophone) that give the album it's unique sound that Pitchfork Media described as "blending St. Pepper with 90's lo-fi."
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea has become a cult classic in the indie world, garnering a reissue in 2005. While many record stores around the country make sure to stock their vinyl sections with Neutral Milk Hotel, your best and easiest bet is clicking right here paying your measly $10.99 plus shipping and thanking Vinyl Revival for letting you in on one of the most influential, yet unfortunately overlooked bands ever.
Now enjoy some favorite artists of ours, Kevin Devine, Manchester Orchestra and Brand New collaborate together live playing Netural Milk Hotel's "Holland, 1945."
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