Number 19: Album Number 9

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)

Cliche? Yes. Great? Yes. I'm pretty sure this album doubles for ID at most indie/hipster/elitist gatherings, but nonetheless, no matter how many times I listen to it, it remains one of the most absolutely intriguing, confusing and beautiful albums that I own. Jeff Magnum's lyrics touch on spirituality and World War II, particualrly Anne Frank's diaries. I think so anyway. Much like the rest of my list, Magnum is appealing because he can not sing and so comes off seeming more like he must. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea's beauty is akin to that of a Jackson Pollock painting. It is riveting in the way of old war footage. Despite an intuitive sense that carpet bombing a city is tragic, you don't change the channel. There is something strangely beautiful about a voice straining for notes it cant reach and it seems all the more poignant when the unattainable notes would support the words I love you Jesus Christ, Jesus I love you, yes I do. It seems not unlike our fascination with death, a simultaneously tragic and beautiful thing.

And one day we will die / and our ashes will fly / from the aeroplane over the sea / but for now we are young / let us lay in the sun / and count every beautiful thing we can see

In Holland, 1945 Magnum's affinity for Anne Frank seems apparent when he sings; The only girl I've ever loved / was born with roses in her eyes / but then they buried her alive / one evening 1945. The way that Magnum wraps such tragedy in such beauty only serves to compliment the spiritual element present in Aeroplane. Magnum's often ambiguous and abstract lyrics are matched by the music which accompanies them. Horns reach and bend along with his voice and fuzzed electric guitars seem most appropriate.

Fact is, were it not for Jeff Magnum and Neutral Milk Hotel, it is likely that you would not enjoy bands such as mewithoutYou, Brand New, or Manchester Orchestra nearly as much. Whether there is an apparently direct influence as is clearly the case with mewithoutYou's latest offering or a more subtle one as is the case with countless indie bands, Neutral Milk Hotel and particularly In The Aeroplane Over The Sea has remained consistently relevant for over 10 years which is likely more than you'd be able to say for half of the music on your iPod or mine.

I don't think anyone will ever quite get this album. I don't even think Jeff Magnum completely does. But if I did, I wouldn't keep listening to it. Not to mention that at least one Neutral Milk Hotel experience a week will make make your skim-milk latte taste significantly better.

Favoite Song(s) - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, Two Headed Boy (Pts. 1 and 2)

Number 18: Plus or Minus 10 Of My Favorite Albums

I'm chronically indecisive so it feels safer to say that if you were to take a handful of albums out of the latte stained messenger bag that I keep them in, these would be at the top. I'll do them one at a time, with the exception of this time.

These first two (well I'm doing them in descending order so make it last two) were difficult for me to decide between so my editor allowed me to include them both.

10. Ray LaMontagne - Till The Sun Turns Black

I never learned to count my blessings

I choose instead to dwell in my disasters

The cover of Ray LaMontagne's follow up to Trouble is enough to make it obvious that one album was not enough to purge him of his demons. Common is the artist with ten songs worth of heartache. But after listening to Till The Sun Turns Black it is abundantly clear that LaMontagne's misery is no gimmick. In fact, one gets the distinct feeling that he would rather not be sharing the depths of his sadness with 20 somethings who see sadness as recreation. The tragic quality of Ray LaMontagne is that he doesn't want to sing about these things, but he must. Its this internal dissonance that seems to leave LaMontagne feeling isolated. He says as much in the aptly titled Empty when he sings, his voice accented by years of finding solace in cigarettes, "Will I always feel this way, so empty and estranged?" While songs like Can I Stay and Three More Days do lighten the mood, it is a light which is hazy at best. Still, Can I Stay is absolutely beautiful and Three More Days is infectious. In fact, I dare you not to play air horn along with this one. Ray LaMontagne makes misery, longing and the depths of human sadness and desire beautiful.

Favorite Song - Empty

10. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska

Everything dies baby thats a fact, maybe everything that dies someday comes back Put your makeup on and your hair up pretty and meet me tonight in Atlantic City

I don't like Born in the U.S.A. And while I can appreciate The Boss' habit of giving concert performances twice the length of most touring bands, if I'm honest my favorite part of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band is Max Weinberg. But Nebraska is different. If you ask me, The Boss earned his name when he followed up The River with an acoustic depiction of American life that is decidedly dark. Written during a bout with depression, this is not the patriotic, purveyor of Dad-Rock you saw at the Super Bowl. The first five tracks are nearly flawless and the entire album features the kind of guitar-harmonica interplay that you know you'd lose your girlfriend to. The narrative lyrical style fits the scarce instrumentation, and a raw production quality fits Springsteens gravelly vocal delivery. Once again, the album's artwork betrays its grim content. Seeing a trend yet?

Favorite Song - Atlantic City