On February 10, 1998, indie rock mainstay Neutral Milk Hotel both delighted and stunned fans when they released their second and last album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Since then, the album has developed a lasting legacy as a defining entry in the genre.
The band was known for its unconventional and lo-fi approach to indie rock. On this album, they paired guitar and percussion with offbeat instruments. Adding the singing saw, shortwave radio, and uilleann pipes created a unique sound that no one else was doing at the time.
The album’s influences were varied, and the genre was hard to define. Not just musically, but lyrically as well. In the composition, there were elements of the lo-fi, psych rock, and indie flavor that Neutral Milk Hotel had developed early. But in addition, the album drew on a whole host of other styles, including Eastern European choirs, the 1960s improvisational Canterbury Sound, circus and drone music, audio collage-style musique concrète, free jazz, and Tropicália.
Critics at the time praised the band for this menagerie of influences. Many noted that, similar to their debut, On Avery Island, the tracks continuously transitioned into one another even as they jumped from wildly different styles. There was an emphasis on texture from distortion, and also on unique song structure.
Lyrically, the themes were often opaque and convoluted. But it worked, and frontman Jeff Mangum’s surreal lyrics just delighted both fans and critics further. There was mystery deep within the album that had to be unearthed. Meanwhile, many felt that Mangum’s writing style made the album feel like a children’s fairytale. It addressed serious themes like domestic violence, sexual awakening, and religious trauma with an air of whimsy and nostalgia. That abstract contrast is what made In the Aeroplane Over the Sea a masterpiece of the familiar meeting the disoriented.
How ‘In the Aeroplane Over the Sea’ Became Neutral Milk Hotel’s Last Album
While In the Aeroplane Over the Sea was initially more of an underground success with moderate critical acclaim, it quickly gained a cult following that propelled the band to new levels of fame. This would eventually cause the band to take an extended hiatus.
The increased attention on Neutral Milk Hotel and stress from touring took a toll on Jeff Mangum’s mental health. For a project he started in high school, the scale had become too large. Speculative articles about Mangum posited that he may have become overwhelmed by how his songs were perceived. There were also high expectations put on the band for more albums. He began to isolate himself from his band members, avoiding the topic of new music. In a way, he was ignoring it in the hope that it would go away.
How could he justify breaking up the band so soon after this monumental success? Many have speculated. Instead, Neutral Milk Hotel went on an indefinite hiatus, which was essentially an unofficial, unspoken break-up.
This launched Neutral Milk Hotel into the stratosphere, however, earning them a cult following of fans desperate for closure. Some journalists even tried to track Mangum down for that closure, like Kevin Griffis of Creative Loafing in 2003. Allegedly, that cover story search stopped after Mangum sent an email stating, “I’m not an idea. I am a person, who obviously wants to be left alone.”
In 2013, the band reunited with all original members and embarked on a tour. They toured from 2013 to 2015, announcing their second indefinite hiatus in between. Fans received this one much better, however, as it provided the much-needed closure that the first lacked.
Photo by Merrick Ales/FilmMagic
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