Ontwikseltsaar reviews: leet necro: Intestinal Apocalypse [...]

**Raikri999** · Joined: 12 Jan 2008 Posts: 1573

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys - My Chemical Romance
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**Mike65707** · Joined: 04 Oct 2007 Posts: 1477 Location: Missouri

Mozaiq by Blood Stain Child.

Just started re-listening to it myself.

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**parzrevenge** · Joined: 12 Jul 2008 Posts: 404 Location: Las Vegas, NV

the blueprint 3 by jay-z
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^ I also fgfc'd the European version lol

**andrechi14** · Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:07 pm Post subject:

Slash by Slash (feat. an artist per song)
this album includes song featuring Adam Levine from maroon 5, Andrew Stockdale from Wolfmother, M. Shadows from A7X, the singer from Alter Bridge, Fergie from the black eyed peas, etc.
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**Ontwikseltsaar** · Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:08 pm Post subject:

Jay-Z... hmmm, that will sure be interesting to listen to, as rap is certainly not a genre I'm all that familiar with.

Alright, folks, the list is filled. This is it!

...and now we wait...
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**Ontwikseltsaar** · Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:12 pm Post subject:

**andrechi14** · Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2010 2:07 am Post subject:

i feel so special being spaced out from the other requests :')
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**machchunk** · Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Posts: 3829 Location: Pasco, WA

**Ontwikseltsaar** · Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2010 2:54 am Post subject:

^ thanks for the, um, encouragement...

Also, Southparkhero, I still need to know if you want to change your suggestion or not? Since a few of the songs from the Jeff Mangum live album are ItAotS songs, and I'm reviewing that album, too.
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**Ontwikseltsaar** · Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 4:09 am Post subject:

"In the Aeroplane over the Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel

Music can be complex in a multitude of ways. For example, songs can have an intricate song structure, may contain hellishly difficult guitar work, make use of unusual time signature or any combination of those. The particular brand of complexity displayed by In the Aeroplane over the Sea, however, was new to me.

This intricacy is achieved mainly by one specific aspect of this album's music, which is: the lyrics. Before listening to this album, I read on Wikipedia that the lyrical content of this album was hugely inspired by the story of Anne Frank. As I progressed listening to the songs I found that the more I thought about the lyrics, the more they puzzled me. Searching further across the internet it seemed as though there has been no unequivocal disclosure about the subject matter of the album. Indeed, the streets of this album are paved with ambiguity, with a metaphor on every corner, displayed by lines such as "Now she's a little boy in Spain" and "She will feed you tomatoes and radio wires".

Don't think, though, that there is no coherence. Upon further examination I found that the first three songs seem to deal with life, while in the songs after that death seems to play an important role. Love is a recurring theme, too (of which the occasional sexual references are probably an extension), and even religion makes the occasional appearance on the album. However, even though the meaning of the verses are, more often than not, unclear (wasn't the album supposed to be connected to Anne Frank too, somehow? And how do all the themes tie in together?), the lines, descriptive at some times, abstract at others, follow the mood and atmosphere of the album perfectly.

However, this effect the lyrics have on the music would not have been possible without the prominence and soul of the vocal delivery, courtesy of Jeff Mangum. He has a very distinct, yet varied vocal style that oozes feeling. Whether it's the slow, nostalgic "The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1", the upbeat narrative of "Holland, 1945" or the sad desire in "Oh Comely", this man can pull it off. Just like the lyrics themselves, Mangum's voice is multifaceted and it always surprises with its unexpected pitches and many melismatic passages. His voice sounds unpolished and raw, but it's for the better, because this is what earns it its incredible power and emotion.

Which leaves me with the instrumentation to discuss, of which the guitar is the most prominent, being featured in every song on the album. The guitar parts consist exclusively of chords, but in this simplicity lies its biggest strength, namely that of staying in the background to make room for the vocals. It's a strictly supportive role, but one that fits the parts very well. However, this is not the case for the other instruments heard on this album.

Although only there in about half of the songs, the drumming is explosive and loud (with the exception of "The Fool"). It's straightforward, but effective, much like the guitar parts of the album. In the Aeroplane over the Sea also features numerous instruments that aren't usually used in rock music, like the singing saw in the title track or the blaring trumpets in "Holland, 1945". It's a refreshing touch that can at times turn a song into an astounding blend of a wide variety of instruments, like in the instrumental "The Penny Arcade in California"/"Untitled". Overall, though, the composition of the instrumentation is not by any means complicated or intricate. In fact, this whole album is not a display of musicianship but one of emotion.

Having said all that, though, I must say that upon first listen most songs on the album didn't really move me. It was actually a very underwhelming experience, after hearing the album receive so many accolades. The guitar seemed bland and the lack of any other equally prominent instruments made the album feel linear and lacking variety. The vocals, in turn, actually were varied, but sounded strange and weren't to my liking. It was not until a few listens later when things started to "click" and slowly but steadily I got used to the specific sound of the album and the songs grew on me.

I guess this is the kind of album that just never stops clicking. There's always something to discover, an idea or insight not seen before. In that way this album is not only an adventure through the wondrous mind of Neutral Milk Hotel's frontman Jeff Mangum, but also a journey of personal growth. You start with nothing and with each listen you get something out of it. This is an album that you can hardly familiarize yourself with casually, that just takes multiple listens to appreciate it for all its worth. Fortunately, this is in no way a bad thing.

Score: 90/100

Standout tracks:
- In the Aeroplane over the Sea
- Holland, 1945
- The Penny Arcade in California/Untitled

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Even though this is listed as the warmup album, this review was really fucking hard to write for me. This album makes me incredibly sad when I listen to it, but it's also so damn beautiful. Oh, and I know I have to tone down the homeric sentences, my apologies. I doubt my reviews will stay this elaborate, since I'll have less time and hopefully the albums won't be so burdensomely complex (my feelings about this album were really hard to put into words)... I do appreciate feedback, though.

**Xtresso** · Joined: 06 Jun 2007 Posts: 1575 Location: Toronto, Canada

Where did the name "The Penny Arcade in California" come from? I own the album and isn't that song usually called Untitled?
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**Ontwikseltsaar** · Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 6:58 pm Post subject:

**Xtresso** · Joined: 06 Jun 2007 Posts: 1575 Location: Toronto, Canada

**Ontwikseltsaar**

Thanks =)

In other news, I've now added the review for ItAotS to my RateYourMusic account.

Also, Fugitive,

**machchunk** · Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Posts: 3829 Location: Pasco, WA