In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

by Neutral Milk Hotel

Type: Album
Released: February 10, 1998
Label: Merge
Country: United States
Length: 39:51
Community rating: 4.26/5 from 100 ratings

Artists on this release: Jeff Mangum, Jeremy Barnes, Julian Koster, Scott Spillane

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Jeff Mangum's impassioned vocal delivery and strident acoustic guitar form the album's core, defined by a unique lo-fi production from Robert Schneider that utilized heavy tape compression to create a signature distorted, yet warm, sound. The arrangements augment a standard rock lineup with a chaotic orchestra of horns, singing saw, and uilleann pipes, supporting surreal and emotionally raw lyrics that touch upon nostalgia, love, and a profound thematic connection to the diary of Anne Frank. Initially met with moderate praise, 'In the Aeroplane Over the Sea' evolved from a cult favorite into one of the most acclaimed and influential works of 1990s indie rock.

Genres

Descriptors: lo-fi, acoustic, gang-vocals, literary, storytelling, folk, melodic

Tracklist

King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1 (2:00)
King of Carrot Flowers Pts. 2 & 3 (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)
[untitled] (2:16)
Two-Headed Boy Pt. 2 (5:13)

Credits

Jeff Mangum - guitar, voice, organ, floortom, bowed fuzz bass, tapes, shortwave radio, art direction, writer
Jeremy Barnes - drums, organ, writer
Scott Spillane - trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, euphonium, horn arrangements, writer
Julian Koster - wandering genie organ, the singing saw, bowed banjo, accordion, white noise, writer
Robert Schneider - producer, horn arrangements, home organ, air organ, fuzz bass, harmony vocal, one-note piano
Laura Carter - zanzithophone
Rick Benejamin - trombone
Marisa Bissinger - saxophone, flugelhorn
Michelle Anderson - uilleann pipes
Chris Bilheimer - art direction
Brian Dewan - artwork [flying victrola]