While some of his friends in bands like Apples (In Stereo) or Olivia Tremor Control dabbled in pretensious sound collages or 60's throwback songs, Magnum released one of the classic albums of the '90s. It's a collection of arresting solo accoustic songs and horn-filled "fuzz folk" tunes. Sounds wierd I know. But the strange thing is how well the diverse sounds of this album flow together. A quiet accoustic number like "2-Headed Boy" flows into a beautiful horn instrumental which morphs into the up-tempo lo-fi masterpiece "Holland, 1945."

The lyrics hold everything together. Mangum has created something resembling a theme album revolving around World War II, Anne Frank and his own childhood. You get the feeling that this guy has a tenous grasp of reality, since the two subjects seem to blend together in his mind. The songs, taken as a whole, evoke a feel of dreamlike sadness. And if you're reading this thinking, "Ugh, a concept album about Anne Frank, how pretensious" it really isn't. Jeff is so heartfelt and honest, but not in an 'emo' way -- no weepy self-pity here. It's hard to believe an album of such maturity and honesty came from a man in his mid 20s.

I know I'm rambling here but there's a lot I have to say about this album. It's not all good. People tend to overreact about "Aeroplane", I think because they feel such a strong emotional connection to Jeff's lyrics. Even though the things he sings about are very cryptic and surreal, you feel empathy and unity with the guy. But this often makes exaggerate how good it is. "Aeroplane" is not the best album of the 90's, Jeff Mangum is not the best musician today. That said, it's still an almost unbelievably emotionally arresting and intimate collection of songs that retain an E6 style accessability and catchiness. Be prepared for this album to effect your mood and also your musical taste. When I first bought it it was the only thing I listened to for at least a week. I'm stunned that this album just came out of the wood-work. While it might not be the best album of the '90's, its definitely one of the most interesting. Everyone who likes music should own it.


Hugely overrated imagistic claptrap   August 5, 2005
 29 out of 65 found this review helpful

This album - and, I might add, virtually anything coming from the incestuous circle of much over-praised Elephant 6 bands - should be right up the alley of any addled indie-rock nitwits who confuse "quirky" with "quality."
It is filled with what otherwise would have been pleasantly bland, aimless songs that are only made somewhat interesting through overwrought arrangements of 'everything but the kitchen sink' instrumentation (and I'm not so sure a kitchen sink or two wasn't thrown in there somewhere).
And then there are those lyrics! Those dreadfully awful highschool poetry lyrics... sheesh... "...Standing on the sea-weed water/Semen stains the mountain tops..." or "While powerful pistons were sugary sweet machines/Smelling of semen all under the garden" Oh lord, make it stop.
I figure this album should appeal greatly to pretentious and intellectually insecure teenagers who embrace anything they don't readily understand (assuming it has acquired the hipster stamp of approval) as mysterious and brilliant; when, in fact, it might be nothing more than nonsensical gibberish.
Okay, so where does that leave us? In fairness, this probably deserves 2, maybe even 3 stars -- there are far worse albums out there. I only gave it 1 (and would have given 0 if I could) as a reality check, in response to all the irrational praise heaped upon it. So give it a listen... judge for yourself... listen to the pretty horns... to the pretty saws... to Mangum's intriguing voice...
Try to ignore the inane lyrics... and the fact that you aren't being dazzled with brilliance, but rather baffled with- well, you know how the saying goes.
Sorry kids; your King of Carrots isn't wearing any clothes.


The Best Album of 1998 -- But Not For The Faint-Hearted   October 15, 1999
 26 out of 28 found this review helpful

Pop Kulcher Review: While some albums jump out and grab you on first listen, this one took a few tries before I was even sure I liked it. By the third or fourth spin, though, I found myself unable to put it down, and wound up listening every day for two straight weeks -- something I can't say about any other album in recent memory. Actually, I can't say that about any other album I own, and I own well over 1,500 albums. Like the other bands in the loose "Elephant Six" collective (Apples in Stereo, Olivia Tremor Control, Beulah), Neutral Milk Hotel shares an affinity for the musical textures and experimentalism of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper and the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, and the lyrical adventurism of Dylan's Blonde on Blonde. But NMH tones down the full-tilt studio wizardry of the Apples and OTC, sticking largely with folky acoustic guitars with occasional blasts of distorted-out-the-wazoo wall-of-sound guitars and, more interestingly, a bizarre array of circus-like brass instruments and organs. While the haunting melodies and instrumental adventurism are interesting, it is the album's lyrical content that makes it so memorable. Most songs are poetic, disturbing, and intensely personal ruminations on life and death, both held in equal awe. The album's highlight is undoubtedly "Holland 1945," frenetic, thrashing guitars topped with lyrics depicting death and genocide -- presumably the first rock song to conjure up memories of the Holocaust. It may be one of the most moving post-punk songs ever, kicking off with the lyrics:

"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."

We're not talking Mariah Carey here. Some aspects of the album may turn off more casual listeners; the vocals are comparable to other deranged geniuses (like Syd Barrett, Chris Knox, or Daniel Johnston), leading to an occasionally cloying whine; and some of the slower, dirge-like tunes take some diligence to get through. But if you're willing to give this a chance, it may very well blow you away.


Astounding   September 7, 2002
 25 out of 27 found this review helpful

I was able to, ahem, OBTAIN all of the songs from this album, with the exception of "two-headed boy pt. 2" several months ago from a now-defunct (essentially) website. I'm not in the habit of music piracy, but all I'd ever heard from this band were the 30 second tidbits above and they sounded intriguing, but awfully STRANGE. I didn't want to throw 15 bucks at something I was going to listen to once. That being said, I just bought this CD just to obtain that one last song, after buying "on Avery Island" and some bootlegged live recordings. This is simply one of the strangest, catchiest, smartest, and most beautiful albums you'll ever hear. Most psychodelic music that I have heard is strange and abstract to the point of being boring or unlistenable; this album manages to meld strong emotional themes out of fantastical lyrics. The best example of this is undoubtly "Oh Comely", which builds in intensity and pure dread out of lyrics like "soft silly music is meaningful, magical... the movements were beautiful, all in your ovaries..." and ends with probably the most crushing final line I've ever heard. It's imagery on par with faulkner, and I don't give that compliment lightly. Yet this is not an album just for "lyric nerds" like myself; the soul of the album is pure, raw emotion. I won't waste time and review space to harp on the common "why do people listen *N'Sync when this is out there?". The plain fact is that many people are not going to "get" this album, and not because they're dumb, but because they look for something out of music that this doesn't give them, and there are things that it won't, like a crystalline singing voice or, frankly, uplifting themes. But I still suggest that everyone check it out, because for that one person out of ten who will be into it, it will be nothing less than life-altering. Yes, I paid 16 bucks for one song. And it was worth every penny.


Is this the most overrated album ever?   January 4, 2000
 20 out of 59 found this review helpful

With all the glowing five-star reviews I've read, and with so many people telling me this album was the new barometer of musical genius, I had to buy it. I have listened to this album many, many times, and it always leaves me perplexed. "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," to me, is hopelessly mediocre, infantile, poorly recorded, poorly performed, and not at all worth the hype it has received on this website. Anyone who believes this album is "genius," or "innovative" should pick up Webster's dictionary, look up the meaning of those words, and ask themselves if they really describe this album accurately. Many have pointed out the significance of the album's recurring theme of Anne Frank as if it were some brilliant stroke of lyrical mastery. I'm sorry, but most of us read the Diary of Anne Frank in the sixth grade, and the fact that Jeff Mangum is obsessed with it now only proves his childish intellect. His voice is, in a word, abysmal. His supporting players are likewise out-of-tune, out-of-time, grasping for ideas from their limited palette. As for Ms. Frank, nothing new is learned; Mangum leaves only fragmented questions, and no new insight. Of course, fans of the band tell me I just don't get it, that it's so emotional, that it makes them cry. Yet they can't say why it affects them so. As for Neutral Milk Hotel (and the majority of the Elephant Six Collective), I can only say that they've broken no new ground, have no talent, and seem quite content to fool you with the dubious aesthetics of their lo-fi world. With approval from the potheads at CMJ, and the Michael Stipe Seal Of Approval, Neutral Milk Hotel and bands of their ilk, will continue to pump out what is the most overrated dross I think I've ever heard.