The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel
March 6 | Written By Danielle Champ
Described by Magnum as ‘fuzz-folk’, the project was one of the primary outgrowths of a clan of lo-fi indie groups, known as Elephant 6 Recording Company collective, with a journey that dates back to their 80s high school days.
Neutral Milk Hotel first took shape in 1989 when a sonic-outlying trio, consisting of Magnum, Will Cullen Hart and Bill Doss, first played at a local laundromat. Although the trio put in a good shift, Magnum made his own way, and found himself in New York where he released his first full length album, On Avery, in 1996. No more than a year later did he release In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, a record that became one of the underground’s most iconic creations.
Take Aeroplane for example, an 11-track dive into Magnum’s fragmented psyche. His exploration of sexuality, morality, and the diary of Anne Frank in songs like ‘In the Aeroplane Over the Sea’, where simple guitar strums and trumpet sounds platform the best of Magnum’s writing, is simultaneously uncomfortable and intriguing. Perhaps this is why it has remained an indie favourite, outlasting many production trends and falls that have plagued indie folk over the last three decades.
When you arrive at On Avery Island, which is more of the same, it becomes clear from where the exceptionalism that led to Aeroplane originated. With revving guitars, obscure percussion accompaniments, repetitive melodies and spontaneous trumpets, experiencing the albums back-to-back illuminates the vision that Magnum wanted to achieve. Although when compared to its successor, Avery is less of an interconnected work, it still carries the tinny bizarreness that makes Magnum’s sound so rare. Some may argue that the band was simply a product of the time, and that there was nothing breathtakingly extraordinary about their music. However, Magnum’s work has weaved together a discography that has become a timeless addition to indie playlists everywhere, making Collected Works an unparalleled project. The entirety of this box set affords us an encyclopedic look at one of the 90’s most fascinating indie songwriters. For this critic, he is one that will be returned for many, many decades.