In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (studio album) by Neutral Milk Hotel

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
Year: 1998
Overall rank: 17th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
87/100 (from 2,944 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Best album of 1998 (1st)
Award Top 10 albums of the 1990s (3rd)
Award Top 20 albums of all time (17th)
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Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (LP, Album, RE, Gat) (Mint (M
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Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea [New Vinyl LP] 180 Gram, Reis
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Neutral Milk Hotel bestography

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is ranked as the best album by Neutral Milk Hotel.

Neutral Milk Hotel album bestography « Higher ranked (-) This album (17th) Lower ranked (974th) »
No album foundIn The Aeroplane Over The SeaOn Avery Island

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In The Aeroplane Over The Sea track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 89 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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In The Aeroplane Over The Sea rankings

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea collection

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea ratings

Average Rating: 
87/100 (from 2,944 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 2,944 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
95/100
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4 days ago PK  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2592/100
 
60/100
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5 days ago kasetlist  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 18668/100
 
95/100
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07/07/2025 17:16 Sbyak  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1592/100
 
90/100
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07/06/2025 02:03 Omahawkeye1978  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 8987/100
 
90/100
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07/02/2025 20:57 gordystevie16  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 8982/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 87.0/100, a mean average of 84.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 87.0/100. The standard deviation for this album is 18.9.

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In The Aeroplane Over The Sea comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 429 comments |
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Rating:  
100/100
From 07/08/2025 22:39
Once this album gets its claws into you it won’t let go. By the time I’d listened to it 2 or 3 times I knew it was easily a top 10 album. Now after many years of listening to it, it’s a great shout for my favourite album of all time. I keep coming back to it. Also anyone talking about poor vocals just doesn’t get music. Jeff Magnum’s vocals are raw passionate and intense which suits this music perfectly. Couldn’t imagine it any other way.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
5/100
From 07/15/2024 09:02
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Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -3 votes (2 helpful | 5 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 06/14/2024 23:56
A surrealistic work of musical and lyrical genius. I have never heard anything like it. The themes explored are deeply profound: connection, love, genocide, memory, creation, autonomy, dependence, and weltschmerz.

This is an album worth listening to over and over again. It is one of the greatest works ever put to record and while no song is a hit, the totality of excellent tracks sums greater than its parts, standing as a timeless expression of the human experience in all its pain and glory. 10/10!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 06/03/2024 08:06
Not a bad album, but even after 4 listens, I just don’t get the hype.
Especially the vocals are average at best
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (4 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 04/18/2024 03:08
Embarrassing to admit: I only listened to this album because of all the hype. And the first listen I couldn't see why it got the hype. Next time I heard it, I liked it although I thought it was still over-rated. Third listen I loved it. A case of Emperor's New Clothes? Probably. Most people I know with decent music taste vary from indifference to hostility. But I love it.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (0 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 12/09/2023 14:22
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Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -4 votes (0 helpful | 4 unhelpful)
Rating:  
35/100
From 07/25/2023 14:15
I don't understand why this album is so highly rated. The songs aren't bad but the album just sounds like a demo tape to me. It could be so much better if the whole thing was re-recorded with a decent producer at the helm. This album just sounds like it was recorded in one take. A lot of work needs to be done on the vocals and the instrumentation for me to want to listen to it repeatedly.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (7 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 06/16/2023 13:23
I like the sonic experience, vocals a bit boring though
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (2 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 06/02/2023 19:28
I am now addicted to this strange masterpiece.

Just a year or so ago I would casually return to it from time to time with the curiosity of a boy poking a failed firework, but recently I find I’m battling myself like a neutral milk junkie, struggling to go a week without a listen, drawn to its sensual dream-like adolescence, strange timbre and brave vocal shapings.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
55/100
From 04/30/2023 09:00
The music is pretty good. The lyrics are interesting. The vocal performance is absolutely disastrous and I simply can't enjoy almost any of the songs here as a result.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (7 helpful | 3 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1998
1. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
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