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105-464: Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed by Jeff Mangum in Ruston, Louisiana , in 1989. They were active until 1998, and then from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock and psychedelic folk . Mangum wrote surreal and opaque lyrics that covered a wide range of topics, including love, spirituality, nostalgia, sex, and loneliness. He and

210-641: A concept album . Anwen Crawford of The Monthly disagrees with this assertion, writing: "It would be overly literal, though, to describe In the Aeroplane Over the Sea as an album about the Holocaust, for Frank is only one of many phantasms to populate a set of looping, interlinked narratives that proceed with the closed logic of a dream or a religious vision." That band was never, in any way, what you would call tight or polished. They were like, if you took

315-528: A cult following and the critical standing of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea rose tremendously. Several music outlets such as Pitchfork and Blender called In the Aeroplane Over the Sea a landmark album for indie rock and one of the greatest albums of the 1990s. Many indie rock groups such as Arcade Fire and the Decemberists were influenced by Neutral Milk Hotel's eclectic music and earnest lyrics. Neutral Milk Hotel reunited in 2013 and undertook

420-627: A Hacksaw . In August 2005, Mangum appeared onstage with the Olivia Tremor Control at New York City's Bowery Ballroom to sing "I Have Been Floated". He made no further public appearances until October 2008, when he took part in the Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise reunion tour, performing the Neutral Milk Hotel song "Engine" at several shows accompanied by Julian Koster on singing saw. In December 2009, Mangum contributed

525-775: A band called Von Hemmling in which McIntyre played bass and Sidney played drums. With Schneider, they discussed the idea of starting a band and perhaps a recording label. Schneider later met Chris Parfitt , who at the time was also already in a band (which Schneider unsuccessfully auditioned for on bass). Schneider and Parfitt also became friends, however, and toyed with the idea of having a rock band similar to The Velvet Underground or Black Sabbath , with production qualities similar to that of The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Schneider then spent two weeks in Athens, Georgia recording music and spending time with his childhood friends Will Cullen Hart , Bill Doss and Jeff Mangum . He discussed

630-467: A blend of " Sgt. Pepper with early 90s lo-fi" that he found "as catchy as it is frightening." A more negative review came from Ben Ratliff of Rolling Stone , who felt the heavy layer of distortion masked the absence of decent melodies. CMJ New Music Monthly ranked In the Aeroplane Over the Sea as the number one album of 1998, and it placed fifteenth in the Pazz & Jop poll for 1998. To promote

735-430: A carnival, and you played it on an AM radio, and then you stuck it in a bucket with a microphone and recorded it, and then took that recording and played it on a Victrola, and then rolled it down the stairs, and there's someone there to catch it – that's a Neutral Milk Hotel show. Robert Schneider Neutral Milk Hotel's live performances often featured the four main band members and several other musicians. For example,

840-521: A commuter bus in Denver, Colorado . Schneider had recently moved to Colorado from Ruston, Louisiana , and often initiated conversations with McIntyre. When Schneider asked McIntyre what his music interests were, McIntyre named his two favorite bands: The Beatles and The Beach Boys — two bands which Schneider was particularly fond of. Realizing that they shared many musical interests, McIntyre introduced Schneider to Hilarie Sidney . McIntyre already had

945-526: A cover of "Sign the Dotted Line" to a Chris Knox tribute album titled Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox . This was followed by an appearance at a Knox benefit show on May 6, 2010 at Le Poisson Rouge , where Mangum performed a number of acoustic Neutral Milk Hotel songs. On December 4, 2010, Mangum played an unannounced set at a loft in Bushwick, Brooklyn. On April 20, 2011, Robert Schneider debuted

1050-444: A few solo shows before embarking on full solo tours in 2011 and 2012. During this time, Mangum curated a box set of Neutral Milk Hotel material, which included an extended play of unreleased songs titled Ferris Wheel on Fire . As Mangum was active again within the music industry, rumors began spreading among fans and music outlets of a potential Neutral Milk Hotel reunion. On April 29, 2013, Neutral Milk Hotel officially announced

1155-399: A former bandmate of McIntyre's, would join the band as a rhythm guitarist while Schneider began to grow more comfortable playing lead guitar. It was also at this time that Schneider began to take stronger creative control of the band, shifting its sound from its stronger rock qualities to a spacier pop sound. The band started work on a debut album, but it instead became Hypnotic Suggestion ,

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1260-863: A lengthy new sound collage work, entitled "To Animate the Body with the Cocoon of the Her Unconscious Christ the Mother Removes Her Death Body of 1910 Only To Be Reborn in the Same Spirit as a School of Blow Fish Believing in the Coming of the Milk Christ", and credited to The Long Warm Wall of Alfred Snouts. Mangum regularly contributed vocals, drums and sound effects to a number of Elephant 6-related albums throughout

1365-405: A loose musical collective . When Mangum learned of another band called Milk, he changed the name of the project to Neutral Milk Hotel, based on a name Hart suggested. After graduating from high school, Mangum attended Louisiana Tech University , but dropped out. He moved to Athens, Georgia , and played in a band called Synthetic Flying Machine with Doss and Hart, but left shortly after the band

1470-525: A message to "his friends" (fans of the band), subsequently shared publicly and co-signed by Taylor. [REDACTED] Media related to Jeff Mangum at Wikimedia Commons The Apples in Stereo The Apples in Stereo are an American indie rock band associated with Elephant 6 Collective . The band is largely the project of lead vocalist/guitarist/producer Robert Schneider , who writes

1575-441: A more complex and organic sound. Jason Ankeny of AllMusic notes In the Aeroplane Over the Sea emphasizes structure and texture , and that tracks seamlessly segue into one another. The overall sound of the album sometimes abruptly shifts from track to track. Rolling Stone notes the range of musical styles present on the album, such as funeral marches and punk rock . Critic Chris DeVille offers similar commentary, writing: "On

1680-451: A national tour, during which the band members learned to play as a unit. The On Avery Island tour generated enough money for the band members to afford to move to Athens, where a large group of Elephant 6 musicians were living. By the spring of 1997, Mangum had written and demoed nearly every song for a second album. He shared the demos with his bandmates before they moved to Denver to record the album. Neutral Milk Hotel's second album, In

1785-462: A newly formed record label founded by Elijah Wood . This was followed by a long-awaited b-sides and rarities compilation titled Electronic Projects for Musicians , released on April 1. In 2008, spinART Records went out of business. Rights for all major releases by the Apples in Stereo on the label were subsequently acquired by One Little Indian Records , and have since reverted to the band. In

1890-462: A number of frequent bass contributors, including Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel , Kurt Heasley of The Lilys , Kyle Jones, Joel Richardson, and Joel Evans. Jim McIntyre would also occasionally guest on bass. This continued to be the makeup of the band as they toured the country in late 1994, recording the first half of their new album in Glendora, California . In early 1995, the band finished

1995-641: A number of shows in 2013 and 2014, playing guitar and accordion. Mangum is vegan , and on October 27, 2011, performed a benefit show at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary , raising over $ 16,500. In September 2019, Mangum and Taylor attended the New York City Climate Strike . In March 2020, ahead of the US presidential election , Mangum endorsed the presidential campaign of US Senator Bernie Sanders in

2100-477: A person, who obviously wants to be left alone." Journalist Mark Richardson attempted to explain In the Aeroplane Over the Sea 's rise in popularity: "Because [Mangum] was inaccessible, there was no outlet for connection other than the record itself and other fans who shared a passion. By doing nothing, Neutral Milk Hotel developed a cult." In the Aeroplane Over the Sea 's critical standing rose tremendously in

2205-440: A recent interview, Schneider noted that the band's EPs have yet to have been re-released, but will likely be collected for another compilation. Such a compilation would probably include the re-releases of Look Away + 4 , Let's Go! and a number of non-album songs released alongside New Magnetic Wonder . On August 4, 2008, the band appeared again on The Colbert Report . They performed their song Can You Feel It? to promote

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2310-421: A result, Carter took on the unusual role of "mix-board translator". According to Carter: "It was more like talking them through what was about to happen, because so much was happening onstage that without someone helping, it was a wail or squeal and the soundman would look at twenty instruments onstage and not know what to dive for." When Neutral Milk Hotel disbanded in 1998, the subsequent cult following propelled

2415-502: A result, music publications began to write clickbait -esque articles in which they would attempt to explain his disappearance with little to no substantive evidence. Even after Mangum resurfaced in 2008, music publications continued publishing detailed reports on his life. Neutral Milk Hotel's legal representative Brian McPherson said: "When the guy sneezes it's on the front page of Pitchfork ." Neutral Milk Hotel has influenced many indie rock bands. According to Miles Raymer of Esquire ,

2520-555: A reunion tour before another hiatus in 2015. Neutral Milk Hotel originated in Ruston, Louisiana , in the late 1980s as a home recording project of musician Jeff Mangum . Initially called Milk, Mangum made the recordings while in high school. Early Milk recordings, such as Invent Yourself a Shortcake and Beauty , were shared between Mangum and his friends Robert Schneider , Bill Doss , and Will Cullen Hart . The four friends branded these homemade cassette tapes with an imaginary record label , Elephant 6 , which eventually grew into

2625-437: A reunion tour with all four members of the band. In an interview with Orlando Weekly , Schneider said: "[The hiatus] certainly wasn't purposeful, and I'm not sure [Mangum] even realized he was being a recluse until it was overwhelmingly the case that everyone was talking about it. I've known for seven years that he was going to start touring. I didn't know if he was going to actually start doing it, but I knew in my heart that he

2730-512: A score composed by Mangum for the Teletron, a mind-controlled electronic instrument invented by Schneider. In August 2011, Mangum launched the website Walking Wall of Words, through which he self-released a vinyl box set of Neutral Milk Hotel recordings and previously unreleased material. He also curated a series of downloadable 'radio broadcasts' and sold one-of-a-kind drawings, with a portion of proceeds donated to charities including Children of

2835-411: A second EP. However, after SpinART Records offered to buy the band an 8-track in return for an album, new plans for an LP arose. In mid-1994, after Hypnotic Suggestion , McIntyre would be the second to leave the band, due to a number of personal distresses as well as stylistic changes that arose with Parfitt's departure. Having great difficulty finding a new permanent bassist, the band would rotate

2940-461: A short audition, the two persuaded Barnes to drop out of DePaul University and join the band. The final band member came when Mangum was traveling to New York City to live with Koster. On a stop in Austin, Texas , Mangum met former Rustonian musician Scott Spillane , who was working at a pizza shop. Mangum helped make pizzas during the late-night "drunk rush", after which he convinced Spillane to join

3045-528: A single." At the time, Mangum was also a bass guitarist for the Apples in Stereo , a band that Schneider formed while living in Denver. The members of the Apples in Stereo wanted to sign with SpinART Records , and met with their legal representative, Brian McPherson, in Los Angeles. McPherson was drawn to Mangum, who was wearing a Shrimper Records T-shirt. After learning that Mangum wrote "Everything Is",

3150-676: A solo set on New Year's Eve 1998 at the 40 Watt Club in Athens. Allegedly suffering from poor health and a nervous breakdown, Mangum made few public appearances until February 2001, when he performed a one-off show in New Zealand at the request of Chris Knox . 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

3255-549: A song from his project "Robert Bobbert and the bubble machine" and he described the album as sounding like early 1970s R&B as it would sound played by aliens and emanating from an alien spaceship.He also confirmed that the band was recording their new album at Trout Recording in Brooklyn, New York. In interviews in Billboard magazine and other press outlets, In April 2009, the single "Energy" from New Magnetic Wonder

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3360-474: A song that McPherson had previously listened to and enjoyed, the two worked out an agreement for McPherson to become Neutral Milk Hotel's representative. McPherson sent copies of "Everything Is" and another song "Ruby Bulbs" to Merge Records founders Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan . The two liked the music, and added Neutral Milk Hotel to their roster. Mangum moved to Denver to record the first Neutral Milk Hotel album, On Avery Island . Schneider served as

3465-479: A time, with a son Max born in 2000. They have since been divorced. The band went on a brief hiatus during 2004 as Schneider released the debut album from a new band called Ulysses and Sidney released the debut album from her new band The High Water Marks ; both were released on Eenie Meenie Records . In 2005, the Apples in Stereo contributed "Liza Jane" to the Eenie Meenie compilation, Dimension Mix . It

3570-414: A very real chance that someone, probably Julian, would get hurt. Jeff was always doing things like picking him up and throwing him into the drums." The band members often could not afford lodgings, and sometimes asked people in the audience if they could spend the night at their house, not realizing the homeowner was in fact terrified of them. Some journalists have noted the release of In the Aeroplane Over

3675-447: A year). In particular, the 2002 album Velocity of Sound rejects most of the psych-pop production sensibilities that would come to be associated with the band, instead featuring stripped-down production and sparse, rock instrumentation. The band members would also continue to pursue careers in side bands and solo projects, with Schneider producing several albums for Elephant 6 artists. Schneider and drummer Hilarie Sidney were married for

3780-711: Is a modified version of the album by the same name) as well as playing several very minor roles in the film. In February 2002, Mangum was interviewed by Pitchfork where he discussed his emotional response to In The Aeroplane Over The Sea , his recent interest in Buddhism and Eastern thought, travelling across Europe, and working on new field recordings and sound collage pieces (under the name Korena Pang). He also expressed doubt that he would record another Neutral Milk Hotel album, "I just feel like these windows open up for something to be honest, and they don't stay open for very long. I guess my path feels sort of different now". In

3885-537: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music also gave the album perfect scores. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea 's sales figures increased during the 2000s, with an estimated 140,000 copies sold by 2005. Polygon writer Garrett Martin noted how fans of the album were "incredibly passionate", recording covers for YouTube , writing poetry, and forming tribute bands . Martin said: "The fanbase might be relatively small, but it's fervent." Mangum resurfaced in 2008 with

3990-862: The Calgary Folk Music Festival . He was often accompanied by friends and former Neutral Milk Hotel bandmates Koster, Spillane and Barnes onstage. On October 11, 2013, Neutral Milk Hotel performed their first full show in fifteen years at a former Methodist church in Baltimore, MD. An extensive reunion tour was announced for late 2013 through 2014, including shows in Taiwan, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout North America and Europe. The band's final show of 2014 took place at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX, on November 9. In April 2015, Neutral Milk Hotel embarked upon their "last tour for

4095-416: The producer , and the recording sessions lasted from February to May 1995. Although Schneider was interested in an expansive Beatlesque production, he aligned with Mangum's preference for a lo-fi sound, admitting that "at first it was frustrating, but I came to enjoy it. That's how I learned to produce, doing that record, because I totally had to let go of what I thought it should be like." On Avery Island

4200-508: The 1960s, as well as to bands such as Electric Light Orchestra and Pavement , and also draws from lo-fi , garage rock , new wave , R&B , bubblegum pop , power pop , punk , electro-pop and experimental music . The band is also well known for their appearance in a The Powerpuff Girls music video performing the song "Signal in the Sky (Let's Go)". It aired immediately after the show's seventh episode of season 4, "Superfriends", which

4305-672: The 2000s. These included Curse Of The Seven Jackals (with Laura Carter, Eric Harris, Chris Jolly & Heather McIntosh), Major Organ and the Adding Machine (with Julian Koster, Kevin Barnes and Will Hart, amongst others), Circulatory System's self-titled debut , Signal Morning and Mosaics Within Mosaics , the Apples in Stereo's New Magnetic Wonder , the Music Tapes' Mary's Voice and Jeremy Barnes' A Hawk and

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4410-621: The ATP festival in Minehead, England, inviting a number of Elephant 6 groups including The Apples In Stereo, The Music Tapes, Olivia Tremor Control and A Hawk and a Hacksaw. Influential artists such as The Fall , Thurston Moore , Roscoe Mitchell and the Sun Ra Arkestra also performed at the three-day event. Mangum's solo tour continued throughout 2012 and into 2013, including high-profile appearances at Coachella , Primavera Sound , and

4515-474: The Aeroplane Over the Sea , was produced by Schneider, and was recorded from July to September 1997. Schneider used new recording techniques to capture Mangum's lo-fi preferences. Mangum liked having a layer of distortion over the music, but Schneider did not use standard effects equipment such as Big Muffs or distortion pedals . Instead, Schneider used heavy compression and placed a Bellari RP-220 tube mic pre-amp close to Mangum's guitar. Schneider then ran

4620-422: The Apples in Stereo had begun work on a new album, described as being "a very, very different sort of album." In recent years, Schneider has explored a number of experimental music projects, such as the Teletron mind-controlled synthesizer and Non-Pythagorean scale of his own invention. The death of Bill Doss, the band's keyboardist as well as the co-founder of fellow Elephant 6 band the Olivia Tremor Control ,

4725-427: The Apples in Stereo song "Energy." In early 2017, Schneider hinted at a new album called The Bicycle Day . He stated on Facebook that "Apples are working on a concept record called The Bicycle Day but it is too deep of a task to finish while I'm in graduate school ... it isn't a pop record though ... ( Air-Sea Dolphin and my band Spaceflyte with John Ferguson are the new pop projects though)". On August 10, 2017,

4830-824: The Blue Sky . Also in August, Mangum commenced a tour of the East Coast, performing mainly Neutral Milk Hotel songs. On September 30, he played a full set at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Asbury Park, NJ. On October 4, he made an appearance at Zuccotti Park in New York City and played several songs to those participating in the Occupy Wall Street protests. In March 2012, he curated

4935-655: The Sea coincided with the rise of the Internet. The album, and by extension Neutral Milk Hotel, became common fixtures on online message boards , and early music websites like Pitchfork gave the band an increased level of promotion. Their newfound high-profile had a negative effect on Mangum, and his mental health began to deteriorate. He constantly told his bandmates he wanted to quit, but never explained why. Some journalists have speculated he became tired of touring and constantly explaining his lyrics to fans; Elephant 6 biographer Adam Clair believes he may have been overwhelmed by

5040-496: The United States, working on solo four-track tape recordings under the name Milk, which would soon become Neutral Milk Hotel . The earliest Neutral Milk Hotel releases included the Elephant 6 cassette Hype City Soundtrack , and Everything Is , a 7" released by Cher Doll Records . Mangum recorded his debut LP On Avery Island at Robert Schneider's Pet Sounds Studio in Denver, Colorado between 1994 and 1995. The album

5145-617: The album "a fresh, exciting standout". The British publication NME wrote: "Neutral Milk Hotel can convert miserable-as-sin introspection into folky mantras that bore into your skull like a well-aimed power drill." On Avery Island was ranked at number thirty-five on The Village Voice 's Pazz & Jop poll for 1996. After the release of On Avery Island , Mangum sought other musicians to tour with. While living in Ruston, Mangum befriended New York musician Julian Koster . They exchanged demo tapes, and Koster joined Neutral Milk Hotel as

5250-424: The album a certain wildfire charm." The most experimental song on the album is the final track "Pree-Sisters Swallowing a Donkey's Eye," a thirteen-minute drone track influenced by gamelan and noise music . Many critics believe In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is Neutral Milk Hotel's best and most fully developed release. By this point, Neutral Milk Hotel had four members as opposed to just Mangum, which allowed for

5355-405: The album sold moderately well for the first few months. Critical responses to In the Aeroplane Over the Sea were mostly positive, but not laudatory. Rob Brunner of Entertainment Weekly praised the unique instrumentation and "bouncy pop melodies", but described some of the songs as "lifeless acoustic warblers." Pitchfork 's M. Christian McDermott also commended the music, which he called

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5460-443: The album, Fun Trick Noisemaker , at Kyle Jones's house (the birthplace of Schneider's Pet Sounds Studio ). Now with an LP to support, the band began touring again. Eric Allen , whom the band had previously auditioned as a guitarist after the departure of Chris Parfitt, joined the band as a much welcomed permanent bassist. Late 1995, Schneider relocated Pet Sounds Studio to Jim McIntyre's house. McIntyre continued to be involved in

5565-413: The album, Neutral Milk Hotel embarked on a tour of North America and Europe. Musicians John Fernandes and Will Westbrook were brought on as touring members, and were taught how to play the horn parts with Spillane. While on tour, Neutral Milk Hotel gained a reputation for chaotic and physically demanding concerts. Great Lakes member Ben Crum recalled: "It was definitely dangerous. There often seemed to be

5670-480: The autumn of that year, practicing material through the winter. Their first few live shows took place the following January, many of which were with the band Felt Pilotes . From February to April 1993, the band recorded their debut 7-inch EP , Tidal Wave , and released it in June as the first record ever to bear the Elephant 6 logo. Several conflicts would lead Parfitt to leave the band in early 1994. John Hill ,

5775-501: The band before Velocity of Sound was released in 2002. Several more albums were released by the band through the years, including the psychedelic "concept EP", Her Wallpaper Reverie , The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone and Velocity of Sound ; both of the latter of which were progressively aimed at capturing the live sound of the band, which continued to tighten as they continued to perform hundreds of live shows (about 100

5880-400: The band into a new level of stardom, which led many fans and journalists to call Neutral Milk Hotel an important indie rock band. Much of Neutral Milk Hotel's legacy is derived from In the Aeroplane Over the Sea , which reached sales of roughly 400,000 by 2013. Music outlets such as Pitchfork and Blender have ranked it as one of the greatest indie rock albums of all time, as well as one of

5985-689: The band went on hiatus. Some were angry, and accused Mangum of being selfish, and others wrote hoax blog posts giving fake details of upcoming tours and other false information. The speculation and online discussions raised the profile of the band, to the point that Neutral Milk Hotel and, in particular, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea gained a cult following and converted Mangum into a larger-than-life figure. In 2003, Creative Loafing writer Kevin Griffis dedicated an entire cover story to trying to track down Mangum for personal closure. The search ended when Mangum sent him an email that read: "I'm not an idea. I am

6090-591: The band's cacophonous sound and earnest lyrics were in direct contrast to the underground music scene in the 1990s. While many groups focused on the theme of detached irony, Neutral Milk Hotel's abrasive and overtly emotional lyrics struck a chord with social outcasts. Groups influenced by Neutral Milk Hotel include Arcade Fire and the Decemberists , both of whom create psychedelic-folk inspired music with non-traditional instruments. Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler said that Neutral Milk Hotel's association with Merge Records

6195-411: The band's second album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea . Its 1998 release received mostly positive, but not laudatory reviews. While on tour, the band's popularity grew through Internet exposure. This negatively affected Mangum, whose mental health began to deteriorate; he did not want to continue touring and Neutral Milk Hotel went on hiatus shortly after. During their hiatus, Neutral Milk Hotel gained

6300-836: The band, including Live at Jittery Joe's , a live album Mangum released independently in 2001. The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards . Neutral Milk Hotel is known for its experimental sound, which has been described as a mixture of indie rock and psychedelic folk , with lo-fi production. Critics have noted many other musical influences, including Eastern European choral music , Canterbury Sound , circus music , marching band music , musique concrète , drone music , free jazz , and Tropicália . Neutral Milk Hotel songs typically involved simple chord progressions that Mangum would strum on an acoustic guitar. Often as

6405-419: The band, such as On Avery Island , are often overlooked by fans due to the popularity of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea . Part of Neutral Milk Hotel's legacy is also drawn from the general mystique surrounding Mangum. Elephant 6 biographer Adam Clair notes that Mangum's unexplained absence made him more notable than when he was an active member of the music industry. He actively avoided giving interviews, and as

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6510-429: The band. The band members moved to New York City, and lived and rehearsed in a house owned by Koster's grandmother. Koster encouraged the band members to play instruments outside their comfort zones. For example, drummer Barnes learned to play the accordion, and Spillane learned how to play the horn parts from On Avery Island , practicing on a two-valve horn for hours every day. On April 28, 1997, Neutral Milk Hotel began

6615-504: The bassist. Around this period, Koster received a letter from Chicago drummer Jeremy Barnes , who wrote how he was not meeting the expectations he had set for himself. According to Koster: "Jeremy had written me this really wonderful letter, basically saying he was being led into a far different life than I think Jeremy Barnes was supposed to live ... I think he was sensing that his destiny lay elsewhere." The letter resonated with Koster and Mangum, and they traveled to Chicago to meet him. After

6720-453: The best albums of the 1990s. Richardson noted that In the Aeroplane Over the Sea has become ingrained in the indie rock canon , and consistently attracts new listeners. Chris Morgan of Uproxx wrote: "In short, people share a very deep passion for Neutral Milk Hotel's highly lauded sophomore album   ... Lots of albums are loved, but few seem to impact people so much, and so singularly." Some critics have discussed how other recordings of

6825-478: The early 1990s Mangum, Hart and Doss moved from Ruston to Athens, Georgia and Synthetic Flying Machine evolved into Olivia Tremor Control , led primarily by Hart and Doss. Mangum has contributed vocals, drums and sound effects to many of the Olivia's subsequent recordings, including their debut EP California Demise , released in 1994 on the Elephant 6 Recording Co. imprint. Mangum left Athens and travelled around

6930-514: The first time. Several early recording sessions were held at Pet Sounds for the band's second album, Tone Soul Evolution , but the members were dissatisfied with the quality of the recordings. The majority of the album's songs were re-recorded at Studio .45 in Hartford, Connecticut before the album's release. In 1998, Chris McDuffie joined the band, playing various instruments including organs, synthesizers and assorted percussion. He would leave

7035-572: The foreseeable future" including dates with Dot Wiggin and Circulatory System . Their final show took place at the Phoenix Theater, Petaluma, CA on June 11. Korena Pang was a name used by Jeff Mangum for his sound collage work, which he debuted during his 2002 show on New Jersey radio station WFMU . The name first appeared in the liner notes to the 1996 Neutral Milk Hotel album On Avery Island , and has been used interchangeably with another pseudonym, Alfred Snouts. Mangum described

7140-490: The idea of starting a record label with them (which soon became The Elephant 6 Recording Company ). It was also at this time that the name The Apples came about, inspired by the Pink Floyd song " Apples and Oranges ". The earliest incarnation of the band began to form in 1992 upon Schneider's return to Denver, first between Schneider and Parfitt, both of whom played guitar. The two recruited McIntyre and Sidney during

7245-400: The majority of the band's music and lyrics. Currently, The Apples in Stereo also includes longstanding members John Hill (rhythm guitar) and Eric Allen (bass), as well as more recent members John Dufilho (drums), John Ferguson (keyboards), and Ben Phelan (keyboards/guitar/trumpet). The band's sound draws comparisons to the psychedelic rock of The Beatles and The Beach Boys during

7350-452: The music industry and released the song " Everything Is " on Cher Doll Records . The song's exposure convinced Mangum to record more music under the name Neutral Milk Hotel. According to Mangum: "The single was a godsend because I was pretty much at the end of my rope with just about everything in my life at that point   ... I ended up sending a tape to [Nancy Ostrander] at Cher Doll Records and she saved me merely by saying she wanted to do

7455-494: The music's in stereo. It's not actually the band name – it's a step back from it, a band name once removed. We're The Apples, in stereo. Kind of like a TV show, 'in stereo!' That always seemed to be a really big deal, that it was in stereo." McIntyre later remarked, "It's cool the name changed cause the Apples and the Apples in Stereo were really two different entities." The band continued touring through 1996, playing in Japan for

7560-481: The musical axis, Neutral Milk Hotel veered from piercingly intimate psychedelic campfire sing-alongs to full-band segments that barreled ahead with haphazard grace." Mangum served as the lyricist for Neutral Milk Hotel. Critic Jim DeRogatis describes Mangum's lyrics as surreal and opaque, and notes that they feature a stream of consciousness style of songwriting. The lyrics would often include references to seemingly unrelated subject matter. Biographer Kim Cooper cites

7665-548: The other band members played a variety of instruments, including non-traditional instruments like the singing saw and uilleann pipes . Neutral Milk Hotel began as one of Mangum's home recording projects. After graduating high school, Mangum lived as a vagabond and sporadically released music. In 1996, he worked with childhood friend Robert Schneider to record the album On Avery Island , which received modest reviews and sold around 5,000 copies. Mangum recruited musicians Julian Koster , Jeremy Barnes , and Scott Spillane for

7770-598: The other band members worked on music with other Elephant 6 bands such as Bablicon , the Gerbils , A Hawk and a Hacksaw , and the Music Tapes . Koster notes how he and the other band members initially thought the hiatus would be a short break to focus on their other musical projects. Koster recounted: "The fact that Neutral Milk wasn't doing something just felt natural, because so much else was happening, and we had just done so much. It didn’t feel unusual at all. I suspected nothing." Fans of Neutral Milk Hotel were not told why

7875-423: The process of constructing sound collage pieces during a rare interview with Pitchfork the same year: "I made a record of montage sounds in '99 under the name Korena Pang, but it was never put out because it didn't do it for me [...] That record was more just a collection of twenty different home recordings, whereas the montage work I'm doing now is like a thousand sounds in one minute. Now I'm able to go out into

7980-399: The recording and engineering of the band's albums until the mid-2000s. A significantly different band from the original 1992 four-piece, the official name of the band gradually became "the Apples in Stereo", with the "in stereo" usually somewhat under-emphasized, whether in lower-case or in parentheses. Schneider described this in an interview: "It's very clearcut, actually: we're The Apples,

8085-914: The release of the Japanese picture disc. In early 2008, their song "Same Old Drag" won in The 7th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Pop/Rock Song. The same year Apples in Stereo were nominated for Independent Music Awards Pop/Rock Album of the Year. The band members also joined the 9th annual Independent Music Awards judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers. Yep Roc released #1 Hits Explosion , an Apples in Stereo best-of album, on September 1, 2009. In late 2008, PepsiCo released an advertisement with their song "Energy" off of their album New Magnetic Wonder . In early 2009, Robert appeared on ABC News's segment called "amplified" and gave some short performances of songs from New Magnetic Wonder and

8190-402: The reunion tour featured backing musicians Laura Carter , Jeremy Thal, and Mangum's wife Astra Taylor . Almost every musician on stage would play multiple instruments, and switch instruments between songs. Neutral Milk Hotel shows typically lasted between forty-five and ninety minutes. The equipment used onstage was cheap and of poor quality, although for the reunion tour more expensive equipment

8295-606: The song "King of Carrot Flowers, Pt.1" as an example of this style of songwriting; although the lyrics are about childhood fantasies, there are references to sexual awakenings, domestic violence, religious fanaticism , and tarot card readings . DeRogatis likened Mangum's lyricism to " Dr. Seuss illustrating William S. Burroughs , or perhaps Sigmund Freud collaborating on lyrics with Syd Barrett ." According to Mangum, many of his lyrics stem from his subconscious , saying: "Some of it I don't understand, I don't know what it is, but it sounds real nice." Another source of inspiration were

8400-414: The song "Stephen Stephen" recorded by the Apples in Stereo to glorify the show's host Stephen Colbert , to kick off a guitar solo contest between Colbert and Chris Funk of The Decemberists . On February 6, 2007, the Apples in Stereo released their sixth studio LP, New Magnetic Wonder . Finishing a ten-year deal with spinART Records , New Magnetic Wonder was the premiere release on Simian Records ,

8505-477: The song progressed, more instruments would be introduced. The band members played a wide range of instruments; on In the Aeroplane Over the Sea for example, conventional instruments like drums and distorted guitars were paired with unique instruments like the singing saw and uilleann pipes . Neutral Milk Hotel's early recordings, before On Avery Island , featured much distortion and are considered rough. Mark Richardson of Pitchfork believes Mangum's songwriting

8610-495: The sound through a mixing console , and maxed out the sound on a cassette tape. This process was done for nearly every instrument used on In the Aeroplane Over the Sea . Schneider claimed that the nonlinearities of microphone distortion gave the album its unique "warm" quality. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea was released on February 10, 1998. Merge pressed 5,500 CD and 1,600 vinyl copies, and expected sales to be similar to On Avery Island . These initial projections were correct, as

8715-553: The style of Electric Light Orchestra . The record is the first Apples in Stereo album without Hilarie Sidney, making Schneider the last founding member remaining in the group, although John Hill joined before "in stereo" was added to the name. The band was invited by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that he curated in March 2012 in Minehead, England. Schneider announced in May 2012 that

8820-537: The summer and fall of 2002, Mangum hosted several shows on the free-form New Jersey radio station WFMU . His playlists included excerpts from music therapy classes, musique concrète pieces, European folk music, and environmental recordings by Chris Watson . He also played a two-hour drone piece by Tony Conrad , and the entirety of Live at the Village Vanguard Again! by John Coltrane and Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt . Mangum also debuted

8925-460: The tour. The final Neutral Milk Hotel live performance occurred on October 13, 1998, in London . During the hiatus, Mangum occasionally worked on some projects, but nothing was widely publicized. When asked about a third Neutral Milk Hotel album in a 2002 interview, Mangum said: "I don't know. It would be nice, but sometimes I kind of doubt it." Although Neutral Milk Hotel did not officially break up,

9030-401: The visions, lucid dreams , and night terrors Mangum would have. Mangum would sometimes have full conversations between himself and Schneider while sleepwalking . After coming up with an idea for a song, Mangum would start writing "word bridges," which are small connecting ideas that would bridge the seemingly unrelated lyrics. Mangum cites the song "Two-Headed Boy" as an example, as each verse

9135-426: The way fans viewed his music, and the high expectations placed upon any subsequent recordings. Regardless of the reason, Mangum came to the conclusion that he could not continue performing, and instead wanted to disappear from the public eye. Instead of telling the other band members of his decision, he simply avoided the topic of new music altogether. This led to the unofficial breakup of Neutral Milk Hotel shortly after

9240-447: The world with my field recorder, record sounds, and bring them home to collage on the computer. The raw sounds can really move and come alive that way. I love the idea of a record containing an entire universe; where the sounds span decades of recording from all over the world and all sorts of different sources." In January 2008, it was reported that Mangum had married filmmaker and activist Astra Taylor . Taylor joined Mangum onstage for

9345-418: The years after its release, which journalist Luke Winkie attributes to the cult following. Domino Recording Company released a reissue in 2005, which was awarded a perfect 10/10 score by Mark Richardson of Pitchfork . Richardson wrote: "It's a record of images, associations, and threads; no single word describes it so well as the beautiful and overused kaleidoscope." Other music outlets such as AllMusic and

9450-480: Was a contributing factor to their signing with Merge Records. Neutral Milk Hotel also influenced bands like AJJ , Beirut , Bright Eyes , The Lumineers , Okkervil River , and Pwr Bttm , as well as artists like Melanie Martinez and Amanda Palmer . Timeline Jeff Mangum Mangum was born in Ruston , Louisiana , where he met the other co-founding members of Elephant 6, Robert Schneider , Will Cullen Hart , and Bill Doss . Mangum's father, James Mangum,

9555-467: Was a professor of economics at Louisiana Tech University . As teenagers, the boys shared a passion for home recording, influenced by the likes of the Minutemen , John Cage , and 1960s psychedelia. Mangum's earliest musical projects included Maggot (a punk group with Will Hart), Cranberry Lifecycle (an experimental pop project, also with Hart) and Synthetic Flying Machine (which featured Bill Doss). In

9660-469: Was also around this time that news began to circulate among various websites concerning the band's next studio album. In August 2006, longtime drummer Hilarie Sidney officially announced her departure from the band during the band's closing set at the Athens Popfest music festival in Athens, Georgia . Her replacement, John Dufilho , lead singer and principal songwriter of The Deathray Davies ,

9765-475: Was announced in October 2006. 2006 touring member Bill Doss of the Olivia Tremor Control also quietly joined the band "officially" as its new keyboardist. John Ferguson of Big Fresh and Ulysses joined the Apples in 2007, also playing keyboards, and wearing a Doctor Who -esque space suit on stage. In December 2006, Robert Schneider appeared on the popular television show The Colbert Report singing

9870-578: Was announced on July 31, 2012. The cause of death was an aneurysm. Schneider released a statement saying, "I am heartbroken by the loss of my life-long friend, collaborator and band-mate. My world will never be the same without the wonderful, funny, supremely creative Bill Doss." The band went into hiatus in the fall of 2012, after Doss' death and Schneider's acceptance into the PhD program in Mathematics at Emory University . In 2013, Phish started covering

9975-505: Was based on the song's lyrics. The band has appeared widely in television and film, including performances on The Colbert Report , Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Last Call with Carson Daly , guest hosting on MTV , song placements in numerous television shows, commercials and motion pictures, the performance of the single "Energy" by the contestants on American Idol , and a song recorded for children's show Yo Gabba Gabba . In late 1991, Robert Schneider met Jim McIntyre on

10080-463: Was followed by a live solo album Live at Jittery Joe's , recorded by filmmaker Lance Bangs in 1997. In the fall of 2001 he joined Circulatory System and The Instruments on an East Coast tour, providing drums and vocals. While working with the people involved in the Major Organ and the Adding Machine act, a short film by the same name was curated. Mangum contributed to the soundtrack (which

10185-488: Was formed. He then became a vagabond , and lived in cities such as Denver , Los Angeles , and Seattle . Mangum occasionally recorded music during this period, including a 1993 demo album titled Hype City Soundtrack . Schneider says Hype City Soundtrack was a reaction to what Mangum believed was the rampant commercialization of music within large cities. While living in Seattle, Mangum overcame his apprehensiveness about

10290-584: Was performed by the contestants on the television show American Idol and also appears in the AGL Energy commercial in Australia. The result was the band's seventh album Travellers in Space and Time , released on April 20, 2010, on Simian Records . Described by Schneider as a " retro-futuristic " concept album intended as a time capsule for listeners of the future, Travellers has drawn comparisons to

10395-655: Was released in 1996 on Merge Records in North America and Fire Records in the UK. Following the album's release, Mangum expanded Neutral Milk Hotel to include his friends Scott Spillane , Julian Koster and Jeremy Barnes . The group returned to Denver in 1997 to record In the Aeroplane Over the Sea , which was released the following year and would become one of the most highly acclaimed indie rock albums of all time. Mangum disbanded Neutral Milk Hotel following an extensive tour of North America and Europe, culminating in

10500-552: Was released in the United States on March 26, 1996, by Merge Records, and in the United Kingdom on September 30, 1996, by Fire Records . It sold around 5,000 copies, which Merge considered a success. On Avery Island received positive reviews from critics, who characterized the music as lo-fi pop. Kurt Wolff of the Houston Chronicle described listening to the music as "a trippy experience," and ultimately called

10605-476: Was undeveloped, and described the 1994 song "Ruby Bulbs" as "raw and noisy and shouty and reflects Mangum's interest in aggro punk, an influence that didn't otherwise surface on his records." On Avery Island represented a move toward greater musical cohesion, and more experimentation. Critic Sasha Geffen said: "The album veers wildly between the accessible and the inscrutable   ... the abrupt transitions between perfect pop melodies and gaseous balls of noise lend

10710-450: Was used. Early Neutral Milk Hotel shows were chaotic and disorganized. Butterglory toured with Neutral Milk Hotel in 1996, and member Matt Suggs recalled: "Mangum & Co were confused and disorganized and lovable." In these early performances, band members would wrestle and tickle each other on stage. During the In the Aeroplane Over the Sea tour, the audio technicians for most venues were confused and did not know what to expect. As

10815-516: Was working toward it." Neutral Milk Hotel toured from 2013 to 2015. In a 2014 post on the Neutral Milk Hotel website, the band members wrote how their 2015 tour would be their last tour for the "foreseeable future", and that they were going to take an extended hiatus. The post stated: "Dear friends we love you but it's time to say goodbye for the never ending now." In 2023, Neutral Milk Hotel released another box set, titled The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel . The box set includes every recording by

10920-404: Was written as a reaction to the use of sex as a source of power in a relationship. A central lyrical topic in In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is the life of Anne Frank , a teenage girl who died in a Nazi concentration camp . Tracks such as " Holland, 1945 " and "Ghost" incorporate elements of Frank's life into the lyrics. As a result, some listeners have described In the Aeroplane Over the Sea as

11025-473: Was written separately from each other over a long period of time, and he used the "word bridges" to connect the verses. Neutral Milk Hotel songs explore many lyrical themes, including love, spirituality, nostalgia, sex, and loneliness. DeRogatis describes Mangum's lyrics as a depiction of id , a personality component related to intrinsic desires. Mangum's lyrics can also be seen as a reaction to events that have happened in his life. For example, "Song Against Sex"

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