Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Album: In the Aeroplane Over the Sean [1998]
perhaps best likened to a marching band on an acid trip, neutral milk hotel's second album is another sonic parade; lo-fi yet lush, impenetrable yet wholly accessible, "in the aeroplane over the sea" has become one of the most important albums of our time. again teaming with producer robert schneider, jeff mangum invests the material here with new maturity and clarity; while the songs run continuously together, there is a much clearer sense of shifting dynamics from track to track, with a greater emphasis on structure and texture. mangum's vocals are far more emotive as well; whether caught in the rush of spiritual epiphany ("the king of carrot flowers pts. two and three") or in the grip of sexual anxiety ("two-headed boy"), he sings with a new fervor, composed in equal measure of ecstasy and anguish. to many, the standout song is the title track. it contains a simple arrangement of acoustic guitar supported by minimal percussion and fragmented saxophone interruptions. mangum cheerfully sings of a young man who's recognized that someday he's going to die and is perfectly okay with that idea. unlike the rest of the album, which can occasionally be downright harrowing in its emotional blackness, "in the aeroplane over the sea" is almost giddy at the thought of eternal rest: "when we meet on a cloud, i'll be laughing out loud" probably isn't the average train of thought of a kid barely in his mid-20s, but it certainly beats one of kurt cobain's howls of existential despair.
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