What is the deal with Neutral Milk Hotel?
Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and then, from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock and psychedelic folk.
It is about a young man who realizes that one day he is going to die, and accepts the idea. "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" is one of the more uplifting songs on the album despite having death as the subject material.
The lyrics are surrealistic and opaque, with themes ranging from nostalgia to love, and were partially inspired by The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.
When asked about the meaning behind the band's name, Jeff Mangum hasn't given an answer, instead saying that it's something he wants to keep private. Jeff actually first recorded under the name "Milk" but changed it after learning of another band that was already using the name.
After Neutral Milk Hotel
That summer, Mangum released a compilation of field recordings of Bulgarian folk music on the Orange Twin label titled Orange Twin Field Works: Volume I. This was followed by a live solo album Live at Jittery Joe's, recorded by filmmaker Lance Bangs in 1997.
Jeff Mangum had a severe episode of depression from numerous causes and decided not to make more music under the name Neutral Milk Hotel. The main reasons that are cited for why he quit was that he couldn't handle how famous the album was getting and that he found out a close friend of his was sexually assaulted.
Captain is the pilot in command (PIC) of an aircraft is the person aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight (FAR 91.3). He/She is also the sole manipulator of the flight control during the flight.
Arrival (FAA-mandated and safety portions only)
“Ladies and gentlemen, [Airline Name] welcomes you to [city]. The local time is [time]. For your safety and the safety of those around you, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened and keep the aisle(s) clear until we are parked at the gate.
Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight).
They would live there mainly on the second and third floor. The only way to enter the hiding place was through the secret entrance, hidden behind the revolving bookcase. The business premises in the main house continued into the ground floor and the first floor of the annex.
How old was Anne Frank when she died?
Faux-fuzz folk
It's not so much the guitar parts Jeff Mangum plays on In The Aeroplane Over The Sea that make it such a singular record, it's how those guitar parts were recorded. An owner of a Gibson ES-125 and an American Standard Strat, the majority of Mangum's contributions came instead from a close mic'd acoustic.
Following a long tour behind Aeroplane, Neutral Milk Hotel went dormant at the end of 1998. When the album's five-year anniversary quietly slipped by in 2003 (such milestones weren't really celebrated in those days), no one had heard from Mangum in a while, and the idea of hearing another record seemed unlikely.
When announcing the tour's final leg, the band said it would be their last shows “for the foreseeable future”, telling fans “we love you, but it's time to say goodbye”.
“You think about a Prius once every five years, but you think about milk every day,” says Neutral Milk CEO Marcus Lovell Smith.
I don't believe in Christ myself, but the sermon on the mount and all the “love your enemy stuff” is an awesome philosophy. And I believe in God, but it's not something I talk about very much. And it's new to me, and it's weird. But I've always found music to be a really spiritual thing.
The album's cover is intrinsically linked to its unique sound. Mangum's fascination with the circus-like, kitschy, turn-of-the-20th-century aesthetic was as much a part of his musical process as it was with his direction for the album's art.
Jeff Mangum, the frontman and creative force behind the band, recognized the album as directly influenced by reading The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank. But for all the linear references to the young heroine, there are equal parts Mangum's own autobiography, philosophy and observation.
