Origins
Jeff Mangum was a member of The Olivia Tremor Control, along with his friend Will Cullen Hart and Bill Doss, appearing on their first release, the California Demise 7".
Prior to recording for friends under the NMH moniker, Mangum recorded at least one cassette under the name Milk: the only known tape was called Pygmie Barn in E Minor. This is the earliest known recordings that Mangum initiated and executed himself, on the cover there is "all songs: j.m '89. art: w. cullen hart". There is only an estimated dozen or so copies ever made of this tape, none of which have been made public. The tracklist etc. are also unknown.
Neutral Milk Hotel began life in Ruston, Louisiana, United States in the early 1990s, simply as a recording project for Mangum. He produced several demo cassettes, among them 1991's Invent Yourself a Shortcake, 1992's Beauty and 1993's Hype City Soundtrack, along with two more from this period, seemingly unnamed. Although easily found on the internet, these demos capture the project at a very embryonic state: songs are played in between various sound collages and tape experiments, and even, at one point, a six minute conversation between Mangum and Hart.
During this period, Mangum was wandering the country, staying in the closets of friends, and in a state of permanent unemployment. It was in these circumstances that the band's first formal releases took shape. Strictly speaking, however, the 'band' usually consisted of Mangum and whoever else was present at the time. This is obvious on Neutral Milk Hotel's first release, a 7" entitled Everything Is, recorded when Mangum was spending time in Seattle, Washington, released on Cher Doll Records in 1994.
On Avery Island
A full album, On Avery Island, followed, this time recorded mainly in Denver, Colorado, where Mangum was backed by Robert Schneider of the Apples in Stereo, Rick Benjamin of the Perry Weissman Three and Lisa Janssen of Secret Square. Merge Records released it in 1996. On On Avery Island, Mangum's unique vocal style and the band's quirky but playful arrangements create a carnival atmosphere of moods ranging from excitement, suspense, and melodrama.
After the release of On Avery Island, Neutral Milk Hotel became a fully-fledged band, as Julian Koster, Scott Spillane and Jeremy Barnes joined Mangum, the band now being based in New York. Soon after this, they moved to Athens, Georgia, where many of Mangum's friends had begun to settle, and the Elephant 6 recording company began, fully, to take shape. After this, the band went back to Denver, to record a proper follow up to On Avery Island.
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
The band's second LP, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, released in 1998, is notable as a critically acclaimed work and a widely popular recording. It is a spiritually motivated work, conceptually based on the beauty to be found in the horrific fate of Anne Frank and similarly overwhelming tragedies. (Mangum has, during live performances, including the one released under the title "Live at Jittery Joe's", described some of the songs off this album as based on urgent, recurring dreams he had of a European family during the 1940s.) The album was highly praised by critics for its wildly inventive instrumentation and Mangum's provocative and impassioned lyrics. Although it met with scant response from the general public when it was released, the recording has continued to gain momentum in indie music circles and has become a cult classic, selling well over 100,000 copies according to Merge Records. However, the record along with the year of constant touring that succeeded it took its toll on Mangum. The band quite abruptly went on hiatus turning down all requests for shows, including a support slot for R.E.M.. All of a sudden, the band appeared to go silent and very little has been heard from Mangum since 1999.
Hiatus
Although all the members are still active with one another in other projects, it is unknown whether any more Neutral Milk Hotel albums will be released. There were plans to release a Neutral Milk Hotel rarities album on the Orange Twin label; however, after an announcement in 2005 on the Orange Twin website claiming that Jeff Mangum had in fact eventually decided against the project, it is unclear if this will ever happen.
There has been, however, some activity since In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. First, Orange Twin re-released Everything Is...., complete with extra bonus tracks, as well as Live at Jittery Joe's, a bootleg recording of a show Mangum played in a coffee house in Athens in 1997. The Major Organ and the Adding Machine album, a rather secretive project released by Orange Twin in 2001 and consisting mainly of experimental musical collage, features Mangum, along with Julian Koster, Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes, Elf Power's Andrew Reiger and the Olivia Tremor Control and Circulatory System's Will Cullen Hart and Eric Harris. There was also the release of Orange Twin Field Works, Vol. 1, Mangum's field recording of a Bulgarian folk festival, also on Orange Twin in 2001. Additionally, he plays drums on the first Circulatory System album.
Since the start of the hiatus Neutral Milk Hotel, Jeff Mangum has only played live properly again once, under the pseudonym 'World of Wild Beards, Inc.', at the Kings Arms pub in Auckland, New Zealand, at the request of the Tall Dwarfs' Chris Knox. He has also made appearances with Elf Power, and appeared onstage at the first of The Olivia Tremor Control's New York shows on their 2005 reunion tour, to sing briefly. Further releases from Neutral Milk Hotel, however, are indicated to be unlikely.
The other members are all still releasing or recording material: Julian Koster as The Music Tapes, Scott Spillane as The Gerbils and Jeremy Barnes as A Hawk & A Hacksaw, Bablicon and Marta Tennae.
In 2005, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea saw its re-release by Domino Records in the UK, in a sleeve featuring praise from, among others, Franz Ferdinand and The Arcade Fire, both very much influenced by the band. On Avery Island was re-released in the US in January of 2006 with live bonus tracks. Mangum has also been fairly busy creatively - following a charity auction on eBay of an acoustic guitar decorated by Mangum himself, more guitars hand-decorated by Mangum were sold via Orange Twin Records for $900 apiece. In addition, a number of Mangum's original drawings, this time costing only $10 each, were sold via Neutral Milk Hotel's website.
In 2013, made a reunion tour of the United States, Australia, Taiwan and Japan. The band subsequently played concerts sporadically until going on indefinite hiatus in mid-2015.
Snow Song
Neutral Milk Hotel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cindy smiles
And overcoats
She says, "Please stay a while!"
Like ice cream floats and dreams
And I will fill you heart
With boats and bills and beams and candy-appled everythings
Cindy skips my trampoline
With toys and horns and bouncing things
And even the most silent must sing a song of love
Yes even the silent, they must sing a song of love
Ooooh...
Ooooh...
A happy girl, she's spinning
These strings in her curls
And it's only the beginning
Of a trip around the world
Cindy, won't you smile?
Cindy, won't you sleep a while?
I feel like just a child
Sinking down one hundred million miles
Ooooh...
Ooooh...
Rain...
Rain is a perfectly sculpted garden of wetness
The song "Snow Song" by Neutral Milk Hotel is a wonderfully whimsical and dreamy ode to a person named Cindy. The first stanza begins with Cindy inviting the listener to stay awhile with her, and comparing their time together to "ice cream floats and dreams." She promises to fill their heart with "boats and bills and beams and candy-appled everythings," which reads like a euphoric list of all the best things in life. In the second stanza, Cindy is depicted as a happy and playful girl, who skips on trampolines and sings songs of love with even the most shy and reserved people. The singer encourages her to keep smiling and assures her that "it's only the beginning of a trip around the world." In the final lines of the song, the singer seems to be overcome with a childlike sense of awe and insignificance as he sinks down a hundred million miles.
Overall, the song seems to be about reveling in the wonder and joy of life, and finding happiness in spending time with others. Cindy is a symbol of this joy and playfulness, and the singer imagines an idyllic world where all people can find such happiness and freedom. The dreamy, otherworldly quality of the music reinforces this sense of escapism and wonder.
Line by Line Meaning
Cindy smiles
Cindy is happy and showing her joy through her smile.
And overcoats
Cindy is wearing warm clothing to protect herself from the cold.
She says, "Please stay a while!"
Cindy invites the listener to stay with her for a period of time.
Like ice cream floats and dreams
Cindy envisions a pleasant, dream-like experience with the listener, using ice cream floats to exemplify such experiences.
And I will fill you heart
Cindy will fill the listener's heart with love.
With boats and bills and beams and candy-appled everythings
Cindy promises to fill the listener's heart with all kinds of wonderful things, including pleasant experiences, memories, and sweet treats.
Cindy skips my trampoline
Cindy is energetically bouncing around, enjoying the trampoline.
With toys and horns and bouncing things
Cindy has brought along various toys and noisemakers to enhance the trampoline experience.
And even the most silent must sing a song of love
Even those who are normally quiet must feel joy and express their love alongside Cindy.
A happy girl, she's spinning
Cindy is spinning around with joy.
These strings in her curls
Cindy's hair is adorned with ribbons and strings.
And it's only the beginning
Cindy is just starting her happy journey.
Of a trip around the world
Cindy's happiness is contagious and could inspire others to join her in experiencing joy.
Cindy, won't you smile?
The singer hopes that Cindy will continue to feel happy and share her joy with others.
Cindy, won't you sleep a while?
The singer encourages Cindy to rest and rejuvenate herself.
I feel like just a child
The singer feels like a child around Cindy, as her joy and energy are infectious.
Sinking down one hundred million miles
The singer feels as though he is sinking into a vast expanse of emotions, perhaps due to Cindy's influence.
Rain...
The song shifts to focus on the imagery of rain.
Rain is a perfectly sculpted garden of wetness
Rain is a beautiful and complex phenomenon, like a garden that has been expertly crafted.
Contributed by Jack H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@AriWilde
One, two, three..
Cindy smiles
And overcoats
She says, "Please stay a while!"
Like ice cream floats and dreams
And I will fill you heart
With boats and bills and beams and candy-appled everythings
Bills and beams and candy-appled everythings
Cindy skips my trampoline
With toys and horns and bouncing things
And even the most silent must sing a song of love
Yes even the silent, they must sing a song of love
Ooooh...
Ooooh...
A happy girl, she's spinning
These strings in her curls
And it's only the beginning
Of a trip around the world
Cindy, won't you smile?
Cindy, won't you sleep a while?
I feel like just a child
Sinking down one hundred million miles
Ooooh...
Ooooh...
Rain...
Rain is a perfectly sculpted garden of wetness
@aisling2361
Rain is a perfectly sculpted garden of wetness
@alexanderaultman
One, two, three, (fuck) four
@Komnen0s
I think this is what love sounds like.
@maryrivera6222
Komnenos yeah same
@adsffdsa220
@Tharo what
@AriWilde
One, two, three..
Cindy smiles
And overcoats
She says, "Please stay a while!"
Like ice cream floats and dreams
And I will fill you heart
With boats and bills and beams and candy-appled everythings
Bills and beams and candy-appled everythings
Cindy skips my trampoline
With toys and horns and bouncing things
And even the most silent must sing a song of love
Yes even the silent, they must sing a song of love
Ooooh...
Ooooh...
A happy girl, she's spinning
These strings in her curls
And it's only the beginning
Of a trip around the world
Cindy, won't you smile?
Cindy, won't you sleep a while?
I feel like just a child
Sinking down one hundred million miles
Ooooh...
Ooooh...
Rain...
Rain is a perfectly sculpted garden of wetness
@kaiwood6471
This song live is 10000x better
@subrosian744
NMH ASMR
@neros12346
That's exactly what I thought
@cheapholiday8111
WFMU brought me hear long ago when this song had a soviet sound