98) Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

I know this album is meant to be good, but I never liked the cover so never bothered, another educated decision.

The album gained a cult following through the years and started to sell which unfortunately had a detrimental effect on bandleader Jeff Mangum’s mental health and this would be the bands last studio record. It’s a great legacy to leave if they never record another album.

The music is kind of hard to describe, there’s a fair bit of throwing the kitchen sink at the songs with instruments I have never heard of making an appearance. Anyone for a flugelhorn? This makes it sound like a mess trust me it’s not. I will go for indie with lots of interesting sounds.

Two songs are called The King of Carrot Flowers, the first breaks you in gently before the second one has Jesus, trumpets, thrashing guitars and thumping drums, its bizarre and magnificent all in one.

Two-Headed Boy is one of those songs the second you here it will have you thinking why the bloody hell have I never listened to this. Mangum’s voice vulnerable over acoustic guitar.

Holland, 1945 is one of the faster paced numbers all thrashing guitars, some speculate its about Anne Frank, and this leads us into Communist Daughter, which is just over two minutes of lovely, restrained vocals.

Ghost has a distorted riff throughout and Untitled has an instrument that sound like bagpipes which I’m guessing are the listed uilleann pipes and we are taken out with Two-Headed Boy Pt 2.

They say never judge a book by its cover, the more I write of these the more I realise I really am an idiot sometimes,

Do not be like me, listen to this record.

9/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: Two-Headed Boy