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 Amazing Aug 21, 2010
I had never heard of this band before, knew nothing about Jeff Mangum, and had no clue what style of music this would be. But I stumbled upon Amazon's list of the Top 100 Indie albums of all time, and saw this listed at #2. So intrigued by the brief description, I decided to download it on a whim.
A little while later, I was listening to Two-Headed Boy, LITERALLY with tears running down my face. I had no clue what the song was about, and at the time I did not know about the album's focus on the Holocaust and Anne Frank. But it didn't matter. I was moved to tears simply by the music, and the raw emotion in the singer's voice. It was a strange and almost mystical experience, and I will never forget it.
Buy this CD, and I hope you will be moved by the passion and pain in this music, as I was.
an anthem for many Jul 07, 2010
how do you describe music with this level of sheer inventiveness, insanity, and fierce honesty. It is just out there for everyone to listen to, and not everyone will like it. It isn't music I would expect my kids to like, but I think is part of any musical education. This group may never have released anything else like it, i don't even know or care. This is a one of a kind gem, an Anthem by any definition, that still brings tears to me eyes on songs like Two-Headed Boy. Awesome stuff.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
FINALLY! Someone got the story of Anne Frank right! Jun 23, 2010
The problem I've had with "The Diary of Anne Frank" isn't the fact that the story isn't compelling (it is!). It's just that when you read it, it's obvious the author (Ms. Frank) has a very adolescent and limited view of the world. It's like she spends all her time in an attic or something. Also, there's no distance or irony in anything she says. It's just soooo obvious that she's never read Foucault or taken a Comparative Lit class.
Which is why "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel is such a delight. This wonderful concept album about Anne Frank captures Anne's existence and story far better than any other text on the subject... especially because they never mention her specifically by name. In art, the less you talk about something specifically, the more it's actually about the thing you're not mentioning. When vocalist Jeff Magnum proclaims "I love you, Jesus Christ" over and over again in the song "The King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 2," he finally brings a universality to Anne's story that has been sorely missing. (Finally, I can relate!) If Anne Frank were alive today, she would undoubtedly pull her diary from publication and emphatically state "Everything I have to say has been said better by Mr. Magnum. If you want to know the real me, buy this album ... on vinyl ... preferably a used copy in very good condition at a Goodwill that some foolish employee put in the $1 bin. Then ... and only then ... you'll know."
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Um... Jun 09, 2010
I have to say that whereas I love Neutral Milk Hotel, I have a very strong connection to Athens, GA and the music out of Athens-Clarke County. Neutral Milk Hotel is a reflection of the emotionally-charged Jeff Mangum and his time spent in Athens.
I won't lie: I prefer On Avery Island. I remember these songs debuting at a coffee shop with just him and a guitar (which can now be found on Jeff Mangum - Live At Jittery Joe's), before this LP ever had a face. I remember these songs at the Atomic Music Hall in the late 90's, and it was brilliant.
What I don't like, however, is how NMH "fans" are just fans of THIS LP. There's a lot of bootleg stuff that exceeds the quality of this record. Invent Yourself A Shortcake, Hype City, Everything Is, and the Shannon Monroe House Demos volumes 1 and 2. Most of these songs were written before On Avery Island, and you can find them under different track names. "My Dreamgirl Don't Exist" and "She Did A Lot Of Acid" are essential NMH songs.
I have very good memories of this band. I'm glad "hipsters" (or whatever the hell they're called) enjoy this album, but please, do us Athenians a favor, don't spoil the soup. Listen to their other stuff, too. You'll probably like it. While you're at it, check out The Gerbils, The Olivia Tremor Control, The Apples In Stereo, Vic Chesnutt, R.E.M, Love Tractor, (older) Of Montreal, and The Music Tapes. Athens is so vibrant in music and this is just a very small sliver of a very large #7 at the Taco Stand.
0 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 You aren't brilliant: Apr 01, 2010
Listening to this album will not make you cool. Years after this album hit the hipster community like a meteorite, ITAOTS still hangs on the tip of the tongues of ever younger would-be cool people. If we take a moment and think about it, this album is rife with juvenile word-play and fairly generic arrangements. The thick layer of idiosyncrasy, perhaps, has enshrouded this fact to those shallow enough to accept it at face value. I listened to this album many times and I've downloaded and sampled all of Jeff Mangum's other work as well: a) he recycles songs by changing them slightly b) what songs he does have are OK at best c) he ran out of ideas and now he does "field recordings" and other banalities.
Jeff Mangum = most overrated artist of the new century. If I meet another 18-25 year old girl that thinks NMH is "brilliant", I will rip my face off.
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