In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
by Neutral Milk Hotel

From soundguardian 06/09/2013 22:09 | #78471 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

It's a strange phenomenon that this record has garnered so much critical acclaim. With its simplistic harmonic progressions and expectable cadences, and with its lo-fi production value, and Jeff Magnum's vocals (under normal circumstances, underwhelming), the tracks are not exactly complex in a musical context. But it's these very qualities that In the Aeroplane over the Sea owes its charm.

If, on the other hand, we consider the highlights, what we have is a very carefully arranged and structured work with seamless transitions from track to track, and centering around (or influenced by) the birth, experiences, death, and memory of a miss Anne Frank. This can literally be considered an album - or a concept album, if you must need call it that - as opposed to a collection of songs, which has invariably become the norm for developing records.

We have beautifully elementary horn arrangements by Robert Schneider and Scott Spillane. What we have are raw, realistic vocals relating stories naturally, sanguinely, and without restraint. What we have is Magnum's lyricism that's vivid in its descriptions.

While it might not be impressive in ways normally envisioned by listeners and critics of rock, ItAotS is spirited enough to ameliorate most of the complaints that arise. This piece requires more than five listens to 'get it' - it's not an instant payoff. Allow it to grow on you. (Edited)

From pearljammer13 TOP 100 COMMENTER 11/21/2011 22:13 | #30970 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

I'd never even heard of this before my obsession with this website. I've only listened to it I think 5 times through now, but I can totally understand its ranking. Easily the most unique sounding album I've ever heard. His voice isn't great...it's raw and imperfect, and over time it becomes very endearing. Amazing to think such an average voice can fit into this music so perfectly and create such an enchanting and beautiful album. The dynamics and atmosphere are like no other music I've heard. It takes you on quite a journey. (Edited)

Upon first listen to this album, I was slightly shocked. I had seen the album cover before in record shops and was intrigued as to what an album with a weirdly nazi looking postcard as the cover created so much buzz. Like all of the albums on my list, I first listened to this a long time after its initial release so I only have my own personal perception of the album as well as all the publications and online reviews that have given it such a high score. It wasn't what I imagined it to be at all, all these weird instruments and haunting vocals that are so full of passion and sadness. Sometimes I relate the vocals the tracks such as 'two-headed boy' and 'king of carrot flowers pt 2' to a plea; a passionate cry for help. What happens when you mix bagpipes, acoustic guitar, trombone, an assortment of horns, an accordion, a singing saw and a Zanzithophone? Total controlled chaos. For me, this album is the most cathartic album ever made. An example of this is with the song 'two-headed boy', as the aggressive guitar strumming mixes with the passionate shouting of Mangum's vocals. Another aspect as to why I love this album so much is the amount of Surreal tokens within the lyrics. I was studying Surreal art just as I was starting to listen to this album, so it was fresh in my mind as I started to take notice of the lyrics. References to war, dualities, Freudian symbols, juxtapositional imagery and most prominently: dreamscapes. Have you ever had a dream where your life is so much more melodramatic and beautiful than your reality? I think Jeff Mangum has. A salute to Surrealism that has the charm of a homemade Lo-Fi garage record without the overly off-kilter discontinuity and patternlessness of Trout Mask Replica. An album full of passion and imagination, one could study its contents endlessly.

From nachosbob 09/26/2014 17:11 | #122763 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

I think it is safe to say that this album is Jeff's Mangum opus... :D (Edited)

Jesus... so many melodic wonders, so many great lyrics, so many adventurous sounds have been put on record since the beginning of music recording, and you guys seem to find "pleasure" in listening to this sort of reheated creaking lo-fi folk-grunge ? (In a similar vein, Fleet Foxes is much much better)