Neutral Milk Hotel Album: “On Avery Island”

Hearing this album for the first time, I didn't know where I stood. For one thing, there were horns--wasn't that the domain of 80's overproduction? For another, there's a lot of plaintive singing and strumming--folkies? But something hooked me, the carnivalesque atmosphere, the raw emotion which is either completely absent from today's music or guised as acceptable radio "angst," the shortwave radio-as-instrument. Because the horns are not blues-faking saxes but rather Salvation Army rag-tag meets the Moroccan Jajouka pipers. The strumming is naked, intimate, vulnerable, angry. The bass is fuzzy, propellant. The drumming seems to explode. And the lyrics, seemingly convoluted, are really words standing in for dreams. Hey, this was the record I never knew I was waiting for!

I've argued with friends over which is the better NMH record--this one or their follow-up, "Aeroplane." It's unfair to compare this with the more somber and perfect "In the Aeroplane over the Sea," but this record does make a great antidote because it's more like a carnival ride. The band is not quite as tight and the experimentalism is a little wilder. It is as good as any other Elephant 6 record out there. From the buoyant opening of "Song Against Sex" you know it's time to grip the harness tight and hold on, because by the time "Pree" morphs into the "Marching Theme," Kansas will be just a vague memory for you and your little dog, too. By the time the achingly beautiful "Naomi" begins, you will have conversed with angels and gardenheads will know your name. And for those of you who don't care for the sweet keening of Jeff Mangum's voice, may I suggest Michael Bolton and Mariah Carey. We who like singers that don't come in a neat package know better.

You can't compare the two Neutral Milk Hotel Albums. Really you just can't. Each is a totally different being. So I don't want to say this is a better album then Over the Sea because I don't think it is and I also don't think it's not as good in any way either. I don't think you can really say what album is better. For myself personally this one does it for me more. There is something so raw and original about this album that I don't know what to do with myself when I hear it. Words seem stupid when trying to describe this so I'm going to stop here and just say that this is a piece of art worthy of the attention of all.

If you're looking at this CD after buying the almost perfect "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" you might be somewhat disappointed. This one lacks the polish of Aeroplane -- but what it lacks in production it makes up for in freshness. It's inventive without being preciously "indie" and the lyrics are personal yet accessible-- no one does sincerity like Jeff Mangum.

In the final analysis, this CD could have used some editing, but it's still fresher than almost anything coming out of Musicland these days, and I was extremely pleased with my purchase.

This is one of those original works of art that will never grow old. I write very few reviews, only the albums I feel are too good to miss. The music on this cd is lush and thick with fuzz and reverb. It is best listned to on a full range stereo or good headphones, playing it through a boombox will not do it justice. You have to be patient and really listen to it, this is not background music! Buy with confidence, enjoy!

My, there are some really, really, really good songs on this album! I could listen to (and sing!) Gardenhead, Where You'll Find Me Now, Naomi, and especially the opening track over and over and over. However, I cannot rate it five stars for two reasons. One, there's a lot of unlistenable filler mixed in here as well. And two, I had the misfortune of listening to the sheer sonic ecstasy that is their follow-up, "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" first. After I let that cd reverberate through my soul the first hundred times (I don't think I'm kidding), it's very hard for me to give five stars to anything anymore.