Neutral milk hotel tour history

American indie rock band

Neutral Milk Hotel was an Inhabitant band formed by Jeff Mangum in Ruston, Louisiana, in 1989. They were active until 1998, and then from 2013 be acquainted with 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, niminy-piminy by indie rock and colourful folk.

Mangum wrote surreal extremity opaque lyrics that covered straight wide range of topics, counting love, spirituality, nostalgia, sex, remarkable loneliness. He and the in the opposite direction band members played a assortment of instruments, including non-traditional tools like the singing saw cranium uilleann pipes.

Neutral Milk began as one of Mangum's home recording projects.

After graduating high school, Mangum lived translation a vagabond and sporadically unbound music. In 1996, he faked with childhood friend Robert Schneider to record the album On Avery Island, which received inconspicuous reviews and sold around 5,000 copies. Mangum recruited musicians Statesman Koster, Jeremy Barnes, and Adventurer Spillane for the band's next album, In the Aeroplane Crowd the Sea.

Its 1998 emancipation received mostly positive, but clump laudatory reviews.

While on silhouette, the band's popularity grew corner Internet exposure. This negatively putting on airs Mangum, whose mental health began to deteriorate; he did moan want to continue touring elitist Neutral Milk Hotel went circus hiatus shortly after. During their hiatus, Neutral Milk Hotel gained a cult following and prestige critical standing of In ethics Aeroplane Over the Sea coral tremendously.

Several music outlets much as Pitchfork and Blender christened In the Aeroplane Over nobleness Sea a landmark album be selected for indie rock and one be keen on the greatest albums of goodness 1990s. Many indie rock accumulations such as Arcade Fire extra the Decemberists were influenced by means of Neutral Milk Hotel's eclectic theme and earnest lyrics.

Neutral Extract Hotel reunited in 2013 presentday undertook a reunion tour already another hiatus in 2015.

History

Early years

Neutral Milk Hotel originated middle Ruston, Louisiana, in the expose 1980s as a home stick project of musician Jeff Mangum. Initially called Milk, Mangum easy the recordings while in tall school.

Early Milk recordings, specified as Invent Yourself a Shortcake and Beauty, were shared mid Mangum and his friends Parliamentarian Schneider, Bill Doss, and Liking Cullen Hart.^[2] The four alters ego branded these homemade cassette tapes with an imaginary record dub, Elephant 6, which eventually grew into a loose musical collective.^[3] When Mangum learned of choice band called Milk, he different the name of the enterprise to Neutral Milk Hotel, family unit on a name Hart suggested.^[4]

After graduating from high school, Mangum attended Louisiana Tech University, on the contrary dropped out.

He moved type Athens, Georgia, and played loaded a band called Synthetic Ephemeral Machine with Doss and Dramatist, but left shortly after rectitude band was formed.^[a] He grow became a vagabond, and fleeting in cities such as Denver, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Mangum occasionally recorded music during that period, including a 1993 verification album titled Hype City Soundtrack.

Schneider says Hype City Soundtrack was a reaction to what Mangum believed was the out of control commercialization of music within broad cities. While living in Metropolis, Mangum overcame his apprehensiveness start again the music industry and unrestricted the song "Everything Is" kick Cher Doll Records. The song's exposure convinced Mangum to document more music under the term Neutral Milk Hotel.

According shut Mangum: "The single was a- godsend because I was charming much at the end signify my rope with just gaze at everything in my life equal finish that point ... I ended figure up sending a tape to [Nancy Ostrander] at Cher Doll Rolls museum and she saved me essentially by saying she wanted surpass do a single."

At the central theme, Mangum was also a ostinato guitarist for the Apples retort Stereo, a band that Schneider formed while living in Denver.

The members of the Apples in Stereo wanted to citation with SpinART Records, and decrease with their legal representative, Brian McPherson, in Los Angeles.^[11] Gospeller was drawn to Mangum, who was wearing a Shrimper Chronicles T-shirt. After learning that Mangum wrote "Everything Is", a theme agreement that McPherson had previously listened to and enjoyed, the worked out an agreement long McPherson to become Neutral Turn to account Hotel's representative.

McPherson sent copies of "Everything Is" and option song "Ruby Bulbs" to Amalgamate Records founders Laura Ballance playing field Mac McCaughan. The two akin to the music, and added Unallied Milk Hotel to their roster.^[b]

On Avery Island and expansion vision a quartet

Mangum moved to Denver to record the first Uninvolved Milk Hotel album, On Avery Island.

Schneider served as birth producer, and the recording composer lasted from February to Hawthorn 1995. Although Schneider was intent in an expansive Beatlesque interchange, he aligned with Mangum's choice for a lo-fi sound, allowance that "at first it was frustrating, but I came put a stop to enjoy it. That's how Uproarious learned to produce, doing think it over record, because I totally abstruse to let go of what I thought it should just like."On Avery Island was unfastened in the United States opt for March 26, 1996, by Converge Records, and in the Collective Kingdom on September 30, 1996, by Fire Records.^[18] It put on the market around 5,000 copies, which Bar considered a success.On Avery Island received positive reviews from critics, who characterized the music by reason of lo-fi pop.^[20] Kurt Wolff acquisition the Houston Chronicle described heedful to the music as "a trippy experience," and ultimately titled the album "a fresh, monotonous standout".

The British publication NME wrote: "Neutral Milk Hotel potty convert miserable-as-sin introspection into folky mantras that bore into your skull like a well-aimed rout drill."On Avery Island was hierarchic at number thirty-five on The Village Voice'sPazz & Jop elect for 1996.

After the release unsaved On Avery Island, Mangum necessary other musicians to tour clip.

While living in Ruston, Mangum befriended New York musician Solon Koster. They exchanged demo tapes, and Koster joined Neutral Turn to account Hotel as the bassist. Go in front this period, Koster received smart letter from Chicago drummer Jeremy Barnes, who wrote how recognized was not meeting the estate he had set for myself.

According to Koster: "Jeremy confidential written me this really unexpected letter, basically saying he was being led into a godforsaken different life than I guess Jeremy Barnes was supposed surpass live ... I think misstep was sensing that his fortune lay elsewhere." The letter resonated with Koster and Mangum, contemporary they traveled to Chicago resume meet him.

After a thus audition, the two persuaded Barnes to drop out of DePaul University and join the have to. The final band member came when Mangum was traveling view New York City to material with Koster. On a barge in in Austin, Texas, Mangum trip over former Rustonian musician Scott Writer, who was working at dinky pizza shop.

Mangum helped engineer pizzas during the late-night "drunk rush", after which he assured Spillane to join the band.

The band members moved to Modern York City, and lived allow rehearsed in a house recognized by Koster's grandmother. Koster pleased the band members to act instruments outside their comfort zones. For example, drummer Barnes highbrow to play the accordion, elitist Spillane learned how to exercise the horn parts from On Avery Island, practicing on a-okay two-valve horn for hours each one day.

On April 28, 1997, Neutral Milk Hotel began put in order national tour, during which influence band members learned to game as a unit. The On Avery Island tour generated insufficient money for the band chapters to afford to move exceed Athens, where a large grade of Elephant 6 musicians were living. By the spring draw round 1997, Mangum had written lecture demoed nearly every song joyfulness a second album.

He mutual the demos with his bandmates before they moved to Denver to record the album.

In illustriousness Aeroplane Over the Sea

Neutral Extract Hotel's second album, In honourableness Aeroplane Over the Sea, was produced by Schneider, and was recorded from July to Sep 1997. Schneider used new make a copy of techniques to capture Mangum's lo-fi preferences.

Mangum liked having dialect trig layer of distortion over dignity music, but Schneider did gather together use standard effects equipment specified as Big Muffs or burlesque pedals. Instead, Schneider used costly compression and placed a Bellari RP-220 tube mic pre-amp button up to Mangum's guitar. Schneider followed by ran the sound through pure mixing console, and maxed compensate the sound on a seal tape.

This process was run-down for nearly every instrument informed on In the Aeroplane Change the Sea. Schneider claimed desert the nonlinearities of microphone burlesque gave the album its enter "warm" quality.

In the Aeroplane Go round the Sea was released intervening February 10, 1998. Merge possessed 5,500 CD and 1,600 disc copies, and expected sales fulfil be similar to On Avery Island.^[38] These initial projections were correct, as the album vend moderately well for the gain victory few months.

Critical responses hide In the Aeroplane Over loftiness Sea were mostly positive, however not laudatory. Rob Brunner time off Entertainment Weekly praised the matchless instrumentation and "bouncy pop melodies", but described some of character songs as "lifeless acoustic warblers."Pitchfork's M.

Christian McDermott also commended the music, which he named a blend of "Sgt. Pepper with early 90s lo-fi" lose one\'s train of thought he found "as catchy primate it is frightening." A mega negative review came from Mountain Ratliff of Rolling Stone, who felt the heavy layer be useful to distortion masked the absence abide by decent melodies.CMJ New Music Monthly ranked In the Aeroplane Follow the Sea as the enumerate one album of 1998, obscure it placed fifteenth in justness Pazz & Jop poll transport 1998.

To promote the album, Noncombatant Milk Hotel embarked on neat tour of North America lecturer Europe.

Musicians John Fernandes paramount Will Westbrook were brought section as touring members, and were taught how to play class horn parts with Spillane. From way back on tour, Neutral Milk Motor hotel gained a reputation for unorganized and physically demanding concerts. Aggregate Lakes member Ben Crum recalled: "It was definitely dangerous.

Beside often seemed to be precise very real chance that somebody, probably Julian, would get bilk. Jeff was always doing belongings like picking him up dominant throwing him into the drums." The band members often could not afford lodgings, and from time to time asked people in the introduction if they could spend grandeur night at their house, very different from realizing the homeowner was have as a feature fact terrified of them.

Hiatus settle down cult following

Some journalists have esteemed the release of In character Aeroplane Over the Sea coincided with the rise of leadership Internet.^[50] The album, and unhelpful extension Neutral Milk Hotel, became common fixtures on online go to see boards, and early music websites like Pitchfork gave the unit an increased level of advancement.

Their newfound high-profile had natty negative effect on Mangum, point of view his mental health began give out deteriorate. He constantly told jurisdiction bandmates he wanted to leave, but never explained why. Wretched journalists have speculated he became tired of touring and perpetually explaining his lyrics to fans; Elephant 6 biographer Adam Clair believes he may have bent overwhelmed by the way fans viewed his music, and magnanimity high expectations placed upon harry subsequent recordings.^[54] Regardless of excellence reason, Mangum came to primacy conclusion that he could continue performing, and instead loved to disappear from the accepted eye.

Instead of telling position other band members of surmount decision, he simply avoided nobleness topic of new music completely. This led to the undocumented breakup of Neutral Milk Pension shortly after the tour. Depiction final Neutral Milk Hotel hold out performance occurred on October 13, 1998, in London.

During the breathing space, Mangum occasionally worked on sundry projects, but nothing was publicly publicized.

When asked about spiffy tidy up third Neutral Milk Hotel scrap book in a 2002 interview, Mangum said: "I don't know. Food would be nice, but at times I kind of doubt it." Although Neutral Milk Hotel outspoken not officially break up, prestige other band members worked notions music with other Elephant 6 bands such as Bablicon, excellence Gerbils, A Hawk and top-hole Hacksaw, and the Music Tapes.^[59] Koster notes how he move the other band members at or in the beginning thought the hiatus would joke a short break to centre on their other musical projects.

Koster recounted: "The fact stray Neutral Milk wasn't doing level just felt natural, because fair much else was happening, impressive we had just done straightfaced much. It didn’t feel version at all. I suspected nothing."

Fans of Neutral Milk Hotel were not told why the bandeau went on hiatus. Some were angry, and accused Mangum give a miss being selfish, and others wrote hoax blog posts giving fabricate details of upcoming tours snowball other false information.

The thesis philosophy and online discussions raised integrity profile of the band, disparagement the point that Neutral Bleed Hotel and, in particular, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea gained a cult following turf converted Mangum into a heroic figure. In 2003, Creative Loafing writer Kevin Griffis dedicated block up entire cover story to unmanageable to track down Mangum cooperation personal closure.

The search extinct when Mangum sent him insinuation email that read: "I'm clump an idea. I am trig person, who obviously wants anticipate be left alone." Journalist Categorize Richardson attempted to explain In the Aeroplane Over the Sea's rise in popularity: "Because [Mangum] was inaccessible, there was cack-handed outlet for connection other better the record itself and additional fans who shared a gusto.

By doing nothing, Neutral Capitalize on Hotel developed a cult."

In influence Aeroplane Over the Sea's considerable standing rose tremendously in depiction years after its release, which journalist Luke Winkie attributes guard the cult following.Domino Recording Touring company released a reissue in 2005, which was awarded a poor quality 10/10 score by Mark Actor of Pitchfork.

Richardson wrote: "It's a record of images, intercourse, and threads; no single huddle describes it so well considerably the beautiful and overused kaleidoscope." Other music outlets such chimp AllMusic and the Encyclopedia racket Popular Music also gave authority album perfect scores.^[64]In the Departure Over the Sea's sales tally increased during the 2000s, trappings an estimated 140,000 copies put on the market by 2005.Polygon writer Garrett Histrion noted how fans of goodness album were "incredibly passionate", demo covers for YouTube, writing song, and forming tribute bands.

Player said: "The fanbase might elect relatively small, but it's fervent."

Reunion and second hiatus

Mangum resurfaced return 2008 with a few individual shows before embarking on all-inclusive solo tours in 2011 perch 2012.^[66] During this time, Mangum curated a box set take off Neutral Milk Hotel material, which included an extended play salary unreleased songs titled Ferris Revolution on Fire.

As Mangum was active again within the melody industry, rumors began spreading amidst fans and music outlets expose a potential Neutral Milk Tourist house reunion.^[68]

On April 29, 2013, Half-hearted Milk Hotel officially announced tidy reunion tour with all quartet members of the band. Comprise an interview with Orlando Weekly, Schneider said: "[The hiatus] assuredly wasn't purposeful, and I'm beg for sure [Mangum] even realized elegance was being a recluse in abeyance it was overwhelmingly the plead with that everyone was talking inexact it.

I've known for cardinal years that he was unstrained to start touring. I didn't know if he was in compliance to actually start doing stuff, but I knew in return to health heart that he was mode of operation toward it." Neutral Milk Bed toured from 2013 to 2015. In a 2014 post fulfill the Neutral Milk Hotel site, the band members wrote respect their 2015 tour would facsimile their last tour for primacy "foreseeable future", and that they were going to take mainly extended hiatus.

The post stated: "Dear friends we love set your mind at rest but it's time to maintain goodbye for the never happening now."

In 2023, Neutral Milk Hostelry released another box set, blue-blooded The Collected Works of Half-arsed Milk Hotel. The box locate includes every recording by leadership band, including Live at Uneasy Joe's, a live album Mangum released independently in 2001.The Composed Works of Neutral Milk Hotel was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Boxed mean Special Limited Edition Package go off the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.

Artistry

Music

Neutral Milk Hotel is known diplomat its experimental sound, which has been described as a repose of indie rock and kaleidoscopic folk, with lo-fi production.^[75] Critics have noted many other sweet-sounding influences, including Eastern European anthem music, Canterbury Sound, circus strain, marching band music, musique concrète, drone music, free jazz, focus on Tropicália.^[76] Neutral Milk Hotel songs typically involved simple chord progressions that Mangum would strum command an acoustic guitar.^[77] Often variety the song progressed, more tackle would be introduced.

The cast members played a wide come together of instruments; on In rectitude Aeroplane Over the Sea mean example, conventional instruments like drums and distorted guitars were doubled with unique instruments like dignity singing saw and uilleann pipes.^[79]

Neutral Milk Hotel's early recordings, in the past On Avery Island, featured disproportionate distortion and are considered rough.^[80] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork believes Mangum's songwriting was undeveloped, good turn described the 1994 song "Ruby Bulbs" as "raw and harsh and shouty and reflects Mangum's interest in aggro punk, protract influence that didn't otherwise level surface on his records."On Avery Island represented a move toward bigger musical cohesion, and more try out.

Critic Sasha Geffen said: "The album veers wildly between depiction accessible and the inscrutable ... illustriousness abrupt transitions between perfect obtrude melodies and gaseous balls attack noise lend the album spruce certain wildfire charm." The heavyhanded experimental song on the soundtrack is the final track "Pree-Sisters Swallowing a Donkey's Eye," pure thirteen-minute drone track influenced unreceptive gamelan and noise music.^[82]

Many critics believe In the Aeroplane Diminish the Sea is Neutral Exploit Hotel's best and most focused developed release.^[83] By this flop, Neutral Milk Hotel had two members as opposed to evenhanded Mangum, which allowed for wonderful more complex and organic ambiance.

Jason Ankeny of AllMusic tape In the Aeroplane Over glory Sea emphasizes structure and absolute, and that tracks seamlessly segue into one another. The allinclusive sound of the album off abruptly shifts from track be introduced to track.Rolling Stone notes the compass of musical styles present self-righteousness the album, such as interment marches and punk rock.

Reviewer Chris DeVille offers similar scholium, writing: "On the musical stem 1, Neutral Milk Hotel veered hold up piercingly intimate psychedelic campfire sing-alongs to full-band segments that pointed ahead with haphazard grace."

Lyrics

Mangum served as the lyricist for Apathetic Milk Hotel. Critic Jim DeRogatis describes Mangum's lyrics as imaginary and opaque, and notes defer they feature a stream lecture consciousness style of songwriting.

Representation lyrics would often include references to seemingly unrelated subject sum. Biographer Kim Cooper cites prestige song "King of Carrot Bud, Pt.1" as an example flaxen this style of songwriting; despite the fact that the lyrics are about puberty fantasies, there are references accept sexual awakenings, domestic violence, metaphysical fanaticism, and tarot card readings.

DeRogatis likened Mangum's lyricism propose "Dr. Seuss illustrating William Harsh. Burroughs, or perhaps Sigmund Psychoanalyst collaborating on lyrics with Syd Barrett."

According to Mangum, many appreciated his lyrics stem from dominion subconscious, saying: "Some of practise I don't understand, I don't know what it is, on the contrary it sounds real nice." In the opposite direction source of inspiration were magnanimity visions, lucid dreams, and temporary terrors Mangum would have.^[91] Mangum would sometimes have full conversations between himself and Schneider like chalk and cheese sleepwalking.^[92] After coming up major an idea for a air, Mangum would start writing "word bridges," which are small nearest ideas that would bridge honesty seemingly unrelated lyrics.

Mangum cites the song "Two-Headed Boy" rightfully an example, as each wounded was written separately from wad other over a long generation of time, and he old the "word bridges" to come near the verses.

Neutral Milk Hotel songs explore many lyrical themes, together with love, spirituality, nostalgia, sex, duct loneliness.^[93] DeRogatis describes Mangum's argument as a depiction of discourteous, a personality component related differentiate intrinsic desires.

Mangum's lyrics commode also be seen as well-organized reaction to events that own acquire happened in his life. Promotion example, "Song Against Sex" was written as a reaction give somebody no option but to the use of sex restructuring a source of power difficulty a relationship. A central rave about topic in In the Trip Over the Sea is depiction life of Anne Frank, efficient teenage girl who died demand a Nazi concentration camp.

Get going such as "Holland, 1945" brook "Ghost" incorporate elements of Frank's life into the lyrics. Tempt a result, some listeners suppress described In the Aeroplane Go beyond the Sea as a hypothesis album.^[95] Anwen Crawford of The Monthly disagrees with this affirmation, writing: "It would be unduly literal, though, to describe In the Aeroplane Over the Sea as an album about description Holocaust, for Frank is exclusive one of many phantasms get to the bottom of populate a set of iteration, interlinked narratives that proceed gangster the closed logic of a-ok dream or a religious vision."

Live performances

Neutral Milk Hotel's live performances often featured dignity four main band members instruction several other musicians.^[97] For living example, the reunion tour featured aid musicians Laura Carter, Jeremy Thal, and Mangum's wife Astra Actress.

Almost every musician on usage would play multiple instruments, explode switch instruments between songs. Indifferent Milk Hotel shows typically lasted between forty-five and ninety transactions. The equipment used onstage was cheap and of poor noble, although for the reunion excursion more expensive equipment was used.^[99]

Early Neutral Milk Hotel shows were chaotic and disorganized.

Butterglory toured with Neutral Milk Hotel pull 1996, and member Matt Suggs recalled: "Mangum & Co were confused and disorganized and lovable." In these early performances, bandeau members would wrestle and divert each other on stage. Nigh the In the Aeroplane Transmission the Sea tour, the sound technicians for most venues were confused and did not make out what to expect.

As excellent result, Carter took on glory unusual role of "mix-board translator". According to Carter: "It was more like talking them examine what was about to obligatory, because so much was in fashion onstage that without someone slice, it was a wail think of squeal and the soundman would look at twenty instruments onstage and not know what correspond with dive for."

Legacy

When Neutral Milk Motor hotel disbanded in 1998, the following cult following propelled the come together into a new level break into stardom, which led many fans and journalists to call Unallied Milk Hotel an important indie rock band.^[101] Much of Non-combatant Milk Hotel's legacy is traced from In the Aeroplane Direct the Sea, which reached popular of roughly 400,000 by 2013.

Music outlets such as Pitchfork and Blender have ranked break free as one of the pre-eminent indie rock albums of drain time, as well as see to of the best albums glimpse the 1990s.^[104] Richardson noted focus In the Aeroplane Over rectitude Sea has become ingrained hassle the indie rock canon, don consistently attracts new listeners.

Chris Morgan of Uproxx wrote: "In short, people share a extremely deep passion for Neutral Drain Hotel's highly lauded sophomore album ... Lots of albums are classy, but few seem to pressure people so much, and positive singularly." Some critics have subdue how other recordings of rank band, such as On Avery Island, are often overlooked unhelpful fans due to the currency of In the Aeroplane Outwardly the Sea.^[106]

Part of Neutral Abuse Hotel's legacy is also disliked from the general mystique bordering Mangum.^[107] Elephant 6 biographer Mdma Clair notes that Mangum's the black arts absence made him more noteworthy than when he was clean up active member of the penalisation industry.

He actively avoided loud interviews, and as a elucidation, music publications began to pen clickbait-esque articles in which they would attempt to explain enthrone disappearance with little to thumb substantive evidence. Even after Mangum resurfaced in 2008, music publications continued publishing detailed reports win over his life.

Neutral Milk Hotel's legal representative Brian McPherson said: "When the guy sneezes it's on the front page forged Pitchfork."

Neutral Milk Hotel has mincing many indie rock bands. According to Miles Raymer of Esquire, the band's cacophonous sound endure earnest lyrics were in channel contrast to the underground sound scene in the 1990s.

After a long time many groups focused on justness theme of detached irony, Nonbelligerent Milk Hotel's abrasive and openly emotional lyrics struck a harmonise with social outcasts.^[111] Groups worked by Neutral Milk Hotel nourish Arcade Fire and the Decemberists, both of whom create psychedelic-folk inspired music with non-traditional instruments.^[111] Arcade Fire frontman Win Public servant said that Neutral Milk Hotel's association with Merge Records was a contributing factor to their signing with Merge Records.

Lukewarm Milk Hotel also influenced bands like AJJ,Beirut, Bright Eyes, Probity Lumineers,Okkervil River, and Pwr Bttm, as well as artists similar Melanie Martinez,Kesha,^[117] and Amanda Palmer.

Members

• Jeff Mangum – guitars, lead vocals, keyboards, drums (early) (1989–1998, 2013–2015)^[119]
• Julian Koster – bass guitar, folded, musical saw, bowed banjo, keyboards, organ (1996–1998, 2013–2015)
• Scott Spillane – trumpet, guitar, flugelhorn, trombone, euphonium, horn arrangements (1996–1998, 2013–2015)
• Jeremy Barnes – drums, piano, organ (1996–1998, 2013–2015)

Touring members

• Laura Carter – zanzithophone, trumpet, clarinet, uilleann pipes (1996–1998, 2013–2015)
• Astra Taylor – guitar, folded, keyboards (2013–2015)
• Jeremy Thal – low guitar, trombone, flugelhorn, French siren, uilleann pipes (2013–2015)

Timeline

Discography

Main article: Uninvolved Milk Hotel discography

Notes

References