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.
calypso pt. 2
Neutral Milk Hotel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In your heart there's a spark that just screams
For a lover to bring
A child to your arms
That could lay as you sleep,
And love all that you are
Like your boy used to be
Before he went out and tore your heart
Sister, please, with those wings in your spine
Love to be with a brother of mine
How he'd love to hide your tongue in his teeth
In a struggle to find
Secret songs that you keep
Very deep in your eyes
Sounding only at night as you sleep
And in my dreams you're alive and you're crying
Move your mouth into mine, soft and sweet
Rings of flowers round your eyes
And I'll love you
1945 is real
Brother see we are one and the same
And you left with your head filled with flames
And you watched as your brains
Fell out through your teeth
Push the pieces in place
Make your smile sweet to see
Don't you take this away
I'm still wanting my tongue on your cheek
And when we break
We'll wait for our miracle
God is a place where some holy spectacle lies
And when we break
We'll wait for our miracle
God is a place you will wait for the rest of your life
Two-headed boy
She is all you could need
She will feed you tomatoes
And radio wire
And retire to sheets safe and clean
But don't hate her when she gets up to leave
The song "Two-Headed Boy Part 2" by Neutral Milk Hotel tells a story of lost love and family ties. The singer sings to his father, asking him to listen to a song about the lover he yearns for and the child he wishes to have. He pleads with his sister, with whom he shares a close bond, to be with him as he dreams of their lost loved ones. He then speaks to his brother, who left with his head filled with flames and watched as his brains fell out through his teeth. Despite this, the singer still wants to be close to his brother and longs to have his tongue on his cheek once more.
The chorus of the song references God as a place where some holy spectacle lies and a place where we will wait for the rest of our lives. It speaks to the idea of waiting for a miracle, whether it be a reunion with loved ones or some other form of redemption. The final line of the song, "don't hate her when she gets up to leave", refers to the two-headed boy's love interest, who will care for him but eventually leave him. It speaks to the fleeting nature of love and the pain that comes with temporary connections.
Line by Line Meaning
Daddy, please hear this song that I sing
Please listen to my song, dad
In your heart there's a spark that just screams
There's a passionate desire in your heart
For a lover to bring
To find a lover
A child to your arms
To have a child, a source of joy and comfort
That could lay as you sleep,
A child that would be with you always, even when you're asleep
And love all that you are
To love everything about you
Like your boy used to be
The way your son used to love you
Before he went out and tore your heart
Before he left and hurt you deeply
Sister, please, with those wings in your spine
Dear sister, with your extraordinary spirit
Love to be with a brother of mine
Wants to be with her brother
How he'd love to hide your tongue in his teeth
He would enjoy kissing her so much that he would try to hide her tongue in his teeth
In a struggle to find
In an effort to discover
Secret songs that you keep
The secret thoughts and emotions that she keeps hidden
Very deep in your eyes
That are visible in her deep, expressive eyes
Sounding only at night as you sleep
That are only revealed in her dreams at night
And in my dreams you're alive and you're crying
In his dreams, she is still alive and weeping
Move your mouth into mine, soft and sweet
Kiss me gently
Rings of flowers round your eyes
Her eyes are surrounded by circles of flowers, symbolizing her inner beauty and purity
And I'll love you
He will love her unconditionally
1945 is real
The year 1945 was a real, significant time in history
Brother see we are one and the same
Brother, we are very similar
And you left with your head filled with flames
When you left, you were angry and full of passion
And you watched as your brains
You witnessed as your thoughts and emotions
Fell out through your teeth
Left you without control over what you said
Push the pieces in place
Put the pieces of your life back together
Make your smile sweet to see
Make your smile genuine and welcoming
Don't you take this away
Don't ruin this moment
I'm still wanting my tongue on your cheek
I still desire to kiss you
And when we break
And when we separate
We'll wait for our miracle
We will wait for a miracle to happen
God is a place where some holy spectacle lies
God is a place where extraordinary and remarkable things happen
God is a place you will wait for the rest of your life
We will spend our lives waiting for miracles that may never come
Two-headed boy
A boy with two heads
She is all you could need
The person you need above all others
She will feed you tomatoes
She will care for you
And radio wire
And communicate with you
And retire to sheets safe and clean
She will rest on clean and safe sheets
But don't hate her when she gets up to leave
Don't resent her when she eventually leaves
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jeff Mangum
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PixelPanda 24
hoooooooooooooly fuck