Neutral Milk Hotel – In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

OK, it’s kind of cheating to file this under “Lost Classics”, Neutral Milk Hotel’s In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is regarded by many music fans as one of the most important indie/lo-fi/folk albums of all time.  As a side note, it also happens to be one of Mrs. Giant Panther’s favorites of all time as well.  Some may be turned off initially by the sound, but most will quickly realize what a jaw dropping experience it can be to listen to this album front to back.

Originally released in 1998, this album was way ahead of it’s time, and one could hear now just how many bands this album must have influenced, The Decemberists come to mind, Sufjan Stevens.

Not many can argue with the absolute beauty of this album, and the real trick is winning the beauty contest while being the ugliest contestant in the pageant.  Most would not label band leader and mastermind behind NHM Jeff Magnum’s voice as one of the technically great of our generation.  Some would even go so far as to label his voice something just short of “shouldn’t be singing”.  But for others, this is one of the finely cut puzzle pieces that make this album a true masterpiece.  I could go on all day about all the little nuances that make this album tick, the overdriven guitar that if misplaced, could go horribly wrong, or the musical saws in harmony, the horn sections, the list goes on and on.

Like most masterpieces, the creator himself would never be able to go back and do it again.  That’s part of the magic, that brings a series of intentional moves, unplanned mistakes, and inspired improvisations together to form something near perfection.  That’s not meant to discount the genius it took to make this album, the songwriting, especially the lyricism is pure genius.

There are songs on this album that strike a chord differently with every listener.  For me, it’s “The King of Carrot Flowers”, leading into the title track “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea”.  It brings me back to when I was a young, only child, sitting under my favorite tree and asking so many questions, wondering what the hell I was here for, when were my parents going to split, what was happening to my grandparents, what happens when you die.  Then to the first time I started learning about some of the things I had to look forward to between my time under my tree and my last few breaths, realizing these are the things that make up for the cruel fate I often dreaded.  Like the face of the first girl you kiss, learning how amazing sex was, before we took it for granted, the time you realize you’re looking at the face of the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.  Realizing the only true way to enjoy life is not to look back or to look forward, but just to look at the exact moment your in and enjoy the hell out of it.

OK I’m starting to trail off, the beauty of this album is it does just that for so many, evokes for each listener a very specific memory or emotion, or new appreciation for the painful beauty of life.

If you’ve never heard this album, or maybe it’s been a few years since you sat down and just listened, I hope you enjoy as much as I do every time you put it on.  I’ll leave you with my favorite line from the album.

“And one day we will die, and our ashes will fly from the aeroplane over the sea.  But for now we are young, let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see.”

MP3: Neutral Milk Hotel – The King Of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1

MP3: Neutral Milk Hotel – In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

Download In The Aeroplane Over The Sea