the Aeroplane Over Sea [180 Gram Vinyl] in Bloomington, MN

Perhaps best likened to a marching band on an acid trip,
Neutral Milk Hotel
's second album is another quixotic sonic parade;
lo-fi
yet lush, impenetrable yet wholly accessible,
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
is either the work of a genius or an utter crackpot, with the truth probably falling somewhere in between. Again teaming with producer
Robert Schneider
,
Jeff Mangum
invests the material here with new maturity and clarity; while the songs run continuously together, as they did on the previous
On Avery Island
, there is a much clearer sense of shifting dynamics from track to track, with a greater emphasis on structure and texture.
Mangum
's vocals are far more emotive as well; whether caught in the rush of spiritual epiphany (
"The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two and Three"
) or in the grip of sexual anxiety (
"Two-Headed Boy"
), he sings with a new fervor, composed in equal measure of ecstasy and anguish. However, as his musical concepts continue to come into sharper focus, one hopes his stream-of-consciousness lyrical ideas soon begin to do the same; while
spins his words with the rapid-fire intensity of a young
Dylan
, the songs are far too cryptic and abstract to fully sink in --
is undoubtedly a major statement, but just what it's saying is anyone's guess. ~ Jason Ankeny