The Fool

What a relief. After months of failed attempts, I finally understand what all the buzz is about. I am at long last able to fully appreciate the band many have made a living out of lionizing: Neutral Milk Hotel.

While I still can't fully immerse myself in the band's work prior to 1998's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (namely On Avery Island), said album is simply brilliant. I can now see the bearing this recording has had over many of the bands I enjoy and this renders the release all the more impressive. Anchored in Jeff Mangum's clever songwriting and plaintive, howling vocals, Neutral Milk Hotel came together to arguably form the blueprints of a genre thathas only recently began to flourish; freak-folk. Listeners can discern artists such as indie stalwarts The Decemberists and Arcade Fire who unabashedly wear NMH's influence on their sleeves (in The Decemberists' case, even comparisons about the timbres can be drawn). That alone makes In The Aeroplane Over The Sea a crowning achievement. Despite the credibility NMH has deservingly gained for the music it has helped spawn, let's not let this detract from the music itself. Mangum's aforementioned unique vocals paired with the strumming of an acoustic guitar constitute the core of Neutral Milk Hotel's sound. The band also makes use of quirky, unusual instrumentation to buttress Mangum's endearing albeit technically flawed vocals. Horns, the accordion, and the banjo are all seamlessly added into the mix, each tool playing its role in supporting what would otherwise be a fairly skeletal aesthetic. Neutral Milk Hotel are also a shining example of how to utilize a lo-fi sensibility to their advantage, as distortion soars over the listeners on In The Aeroplane Over The Sea's more raucous moments. All the noise isn't so much a nuisance as it is yet another instrument of sorts. The amalgamation of all of these disparate parties (vocals, unusual instrumentation, distortion) into one cohesive unit creates this dizzying, carnavalesque soundscape...and this absolute mess is gorgeous. I can't say I have encountered such an empassioned vocalist in quite some time (barring Conor Oberst) and backed by all of this cacophony, Jeff Mangum has crafted a raw, unadulterated, noisy sonic masterpiece.

Pick this up if you are in need of genuine, unconventional, and most importantly meaningful music. I don't blame Mangum and the boys for being on hiatus since 1999. I would need a rest too if I had created such an emotionally jarring yet sincere and beautiful album.