'In The Aeroplane Over The Sea', a late 90's album inspired by Anne Frank's 'Diary of a Young Girl, is simply the most surreal, most poignant, most brilliant album you are ever likely to hear.
As a regular visitor of Pitchforkmedia.com, I only recently stumbled across this record by a band I had previously only vaguely heard of. This discovery was due to the reviewer's rating of 10.0, a rating only attributed to the crème de la crème of albums, previously credited to works of similar genius to Radiohead's 'Kid A', with its dystopian beauty, or to Joy Division's ethereal masterpiece 'Closer'. Thus I could not overlook Neutral Milk Hotel's 'In The Aeroplane Over The Sea', and I purchased it at the first opportunity.
On first listen I couldn't prevent a nagging voice from questioning how this record could rank with the best of them, and by the album's uplifting closer, Two Headed Boy Pt. 2, I had stopped listening. However, I persevered, willing a more pleasurable auditory experience, and sure enough Jeff Mangum's initially irritating voice became glorious, swooning, introspective, humbling. From the nostalgic opener 'The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1' to the lovely title track, with its joyous lyrics in the face of human mortality 'When we meet on a cloud / I'll be laughing out loud', 'In The Aeroplane Over The Sea' is an utterly brilliant work of art, lyrically sublime.
Other highlights include the melancholic instrumental track 'The Fool' and 8 minute lament 'Oh Comely', with its heartbreaking lyrics ("I know they buried her body with others / her sister and mother and 500 families / will she remember me 50 years later / I wished I could save her in some sort of time machine) a reference to Anne Frank's death and how death is not the end, a theme that is intrisic to the album, as fragments and images of the holocaust are embedded throughout the 45 minutes.
'In The Aeroplane Over The Sea' is better than I could ever have hoped, it is an album that I will dive into again and again. As said by another reviewer on a different site 'If I won the lottery I would post this album through everybody's letterboxes.'
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Incredibly moving, truly beautiful in both lyrics and texture. Disadvantages: Could be difficult to get into, not going to be a family favourite.
Advantages: Incredibly moving, truly beautiful in both lyrics and texture. Disadvantages: Could be difficult to get into, not going to be a family favourite.
very helpful by (75%):
helpful by (25%):
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