In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
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In the Aeroplane Over the Sea was an album released in 1998 (see 1998 in music) by Neutral Milk Hotel, a member of the Elephant 6 Collective. The record's musical style is exemplary of that of the Elephant 6 bands: it is based upon vocalist Jeff Mangum's singing and acoustic guitar accompaniment with various other instruments layered upon them, such as piano, musical saw, bagpipes, bow-played fuzz bass, wandering genie, accordion, banjo, flugelhorn, and other assorted brass instruments.
As the band's second LP, In the Aeroplane over the Sea is notable as a critically acclaimed work and a fairly popular recording. It is a spiritually motivated work conceptually based on the beauty to be found in the horrific fate of Anne Frank and similarly overwhelming tragedies. (Mangum is reported to have, during a live performance, described some of the songs off this album as based on urgent, recurring dreams he had of a Jewish family during World War II; described in small detail on 2001's "Live at Jittery Joe's.) The album was highly praised by critics for its wildly inventive instrumentation and Mangum's provocative lyrics. Although it met with scant response from the general public when it was released, the recording has continued to gain momentum in indie music circles and has become a cult classic, selling well over 100,000 copies according to Merge Records.
Track listing
- "The King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. One" (2:00)
- "The King of Carrot Flowers, Pts. Two & Three" (3:06)
- "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" (3:22)
- "Two-Headed Boy" (4:26)
- "The Fool" (1:53)
- "Holland, 1945" (3:12)
- "Communist Daughter" (1:57)
- "Oh Comely" (8:18)
- "Ghost" (4:08)
- " "(2:16)
- "Two-Headed Boy, Pt. Two" (5:13)
Personnel
- Jeff Mangum - Organ, Guitar, Vocals, Bowed Bass, Art Direction, Floor Tom, Tapes, Shortwave Radio
- Julian Koster - Accordion, Bowed Banjo, Singing Saw
- Scott Spillane - Trombone, Trumpet, Euphonium, Flugelhorn, Horn Arrangements
- Jeremy Barnes - Organ, Drums
- Merisa Bissinger - Flugelhorn, Saxophone
- Rick Benjamin - Trombone
- Laura Carter - Zanzithophone
- Michelle Anderson - Uillean Pipes
- Brian Dewan - Illustrations
- Chris Bilheimer - Art Direction
Awards
#85 - Pitchforkmedia: Top 100 Albums of the 1990s (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/top/90s%20%5b1999%5d/index2.shtml)
#4 - Pitchforkmedia: Top 100 Albums of the 1990s Redux (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/top/90s/index10.shtml)