“In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” is the second album from Ruston, La., indie band Neutral Milk Hotel. It has been lauded as a cult classic in the alternative genre. Today, the album is a massive success for fans between the ages of 18 and 22 years old. But here’s the kicker: the album came out when these fans were toddlers.
An album comes out in 1998 to little fanfare, and in the span of 16 years, it becomes one of the highest acclaimed productions in modern music. My question is “Why?” What makes this one album ring true in the hearts of so many young adults?
For listeners, the album is aesthetically appealing, with its cover depicting an altered antique European postcard. Its overall color and visual presence is resonant of both a macabre sideshow (“Two-Headed Boy”) and sentimentalized wartime (“Ghost.”)
There are elements of romance, science, religion and war all wrapped up in this album. A significant theme running through the work is Jeff Mangum’s interest in “The Diary of Anne Frank,” citing the book as inspiration for many songs, including “Holland, 1945” and “Communist Daughter.”
As for the overall sound of “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea,” Mangum’s songwriting is eerily poetic, with each song having its own distinct hook that sinks deep into listeners’ ears. Backing up Mangum’s growling acoustic guitar is a vast array of horns, keyboards, bagpipes, percussion and even a singing saw.
Every song, with the exception of the marching instrumental “Fool,” is a sing-along filled with long, crooning runs of Mangum’s nasally minstrel holler.
For whatever reasons present back then, not many of these combined factors sparked interest with listeners back in 1998. Following the album’s relatively uneventful release, Neutral Milk Hotel went on an unspecified hiatus for what would last 15 years.
Fast-forward to the late 2000s, when the album surged into the public ear with the help of expressive 18-year-olds around the country who resounded Mangum’s feelings and thoughts. “Aeroplane” flourished into popularity, receiving fresh five-star reviews from numerous publications. The rest is history, and today this album remains many people’s personal favorite.
As for Mangum and his bandmates, Neutral Milk Hotel broke its hiatus in April 2013 by announcing a tour with the original “Aeroplane” lineup across America. Fans rejoiced, and the band was welcomed back to the fold as a pillar of modern alternative music. Neutral Milk Hotel will be performing two night shows tonight and tomorrow at the Civic Theatre in New Orleans.
For people outside of the aforementioned age range, there is always a possibility you already know this album or are beginning to like it. If it were not for those young adults in that range, “Aeroplane” would not be the musical force of nature it is recognized as today, and Neutral Milk Hotel would still be some guys from Ruston. Be proud, Louisiana.