On Avery Island
{{Infobox album
| name = On Avery Island
| type = studio
| artist = Neutral Milk Hotel
| cover = On avery island album cover.jpg
| caption = Original vinyl cover; releases on streaming services are cropped, only showing the photograph.
| released = March 26, 1996 (US)
September 30, 1996 (UK)
| recorded = February–May 1995
| studio = Pet Sounds Studio (Denver, Colorado)
Dane Terry and Marisa Bissinger's home
| genre = *Indie rock
| length = 47:58
| label = *Merge (US)
| producer = Robert Schneider
| prev_title = Everything Is
| prev_year = 1993
| next_title = In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
| next_year = 1998
| misc = {{Extra album cover
| header = Alternative cover
| type = Studio
| cover = NMH-On Avery Island UK.jpg
| border =
| alt =
| caption = 1996 Fire Records (UK) release
}}
}}
On Avery Island is the debut studio album by American rock band Neutral Milk Hotel. It was released in the United States on March 26, 1996, by Merge Records, and in the United Kingdom on September 30, 1996, by Fire Records.{{harvnb|Anon.|1996b|p=56}}; {{harvnb|Anon.|n.d.}}. At the time, Neutral Milk Hotel was a solo project of American musician Jeff Mangum, who recorded the album with producer Robert Schneider from February to May 1995. On Avery Island is an indie rock and psychedelic folk album, with a lo-fi sound.
Background and recording
Neutral Milk Hotel was formed in Ruston, Louisiana, in the late 1980s, as one of the many home recording projects of musician Jeff Mangum.{{sfn|Cooper|2005|p=17}} The simple home recordings Mangum made with his friends Robert Schneider, Bill Doss, and Will Cullen Hart led to the formation of the Elephant 6 musical collective.{{sfn|Ballance|Cook|McCaughan|2009|p=93}} After graduating from high school, Mangum moved to Seattle, and released the single "Everything Is" on Cher Doll Records, under the alias Neutral Milk Hotel.{{sfn|Cooper|2005|p=30}} The single's exposure convinced Mangum to record more music under this name.{{sfn|McMullen|1996}} He moved to Denver, and began working with Schneider to record his first album On Avery Island.{{sfn|Ballance|Cook|McCaughan|2009|p=97}}
On Avery Island was recorded from February to May 1995, and was produced and engineered by Schneider. According to the album’s liner notes, among a number of instrumental credits, Mangum played guitar, drums and vocals, and Schneider played bass, organ, and composed horn arrangements; the horn parts were played by trombonist Rick Benjamin. It was recorded at two different locations: about half of the album was recorded at the house of musicians Dane Terry and Marisa Bissinger, and the other half was recorded at Pet Sounds Studio. The album was recorded on a four-track reel-to-reel.{{sfn|Earles|2014|p=219}}
Composition
On Avery Island is an indie rock and psychedelic folk album with a lo-fi sound.{{harvnb|Earles|2014|pp=219–220}}; {{harvnb|Jones|1998}} The Rolling Stone Album Guide likened the album's music to other 1990s lo-fi indie rock acts like Smog and Guided by Voices.{{sfn|Sarig|2004|p=579}} On Avery Island{{'s}} most experimental song is the thirteen-minute closing track "Pree-Sisters Swallowing a Donkey's Eye," which is a drone song influenced by gamelan and noise music.{{harvnb|Cooper|2005|pp=25–26}}; {{harvnb|Richardson|2012}}
"Naomi" is about Naomi Yang of Galaxie 500 and Damon and Naomi.{{cite web |title=Neutral Milk Hotel - Naomi (Video by Naomi Yang, made with the band's blessing) | website=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Dx77oueZ0 |access-date=25 February 2023}}
Artwork
The cover art for the 1996 release of On Avery Island was designed by Jeff Mangum{{Cite web |last=Stafford |first=James |date=2015-11-17 |title=Cover Stories: Neutral Milk Hotel, 'In the Aeroplane Over the Sea' |url=https://diffuser.fm/cover-stories-neutral-milk-hotel-in-the-aeroplane-over-the-sea/ |access-date=2023-07-14 |website=Diffuser.fm |language=en}} and Lisa Janssen.{{Cite web |title=On Avery Island by Neutral Milk Hotel |url=https://genius.com/albums/Neutral-milk-hotel/On-avery-island |access-date=2023-07-14 |website=Genius |language=en}} The United Kingdom release had different cover art, designed by Jill Carnes.{{Cite web |last=Tripp |first=Robin |date=2006-06-25 |title=Neutral Milk Hotel - On Avery Island |url=https://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/1564/ |access-date=2023-07-14 |website=Head Heritage}}
In 2023, the album was rereleased with new cover art.{{Cite web |last=Weinrichter Roncero |first=Lucia |date=2023-02-24 |title=Neutral Milk Hotel's explosive 1996 debut 'On Avery Island (Deluxe Edition)' is out today |url=https://www.firerecords.com/neutral-milk-hotel-deluxe-edition-of-on-avery-island-is-out-today/ |access-date=2023-07-14 |website=FIRE RECORDS |language=en-US}}
Release and reception
=Initial release=
On Avery Island was released in the United States on March 26, 1996, by Merge Records, and in the United Kingdom on September 30, 1996, by Fire Records. It sold around 5,000 copies, which Merge considered a success.{{sfn|Cooper|2005|p=37}} On Avery Island received positive reviews from critics.{{harvnb|Cooper|2005|p=37}}; {{harvnb|Goldsmith|n.d.}}; {{harvnb|Wolff|1996}} Kurt Wolff of the Houston Chronicle gave the album four out of five stars, and wrote: "Neutral Milk Hotel's debut is a trippy experience, at times downright crowded with noise. But at the core of every song is a solid, tangible melody, the kind that rings through your brain all day long."{{sfn|Wolff|1996}} Mike Goldsmith of NME gave it an 8/10, and said: "Neutral Milk Hotel can convert miserable-as-sin introspection into folky mantras that bore into your skull like a well-aimed power drill."{{sfn|Goldsmith|n.d.}} On Avery Island was ranked at number thirty-five on The Village Voice{{'s}} Pazz & Jop poll for 1996.{{sfn|Cooper|2005|p=37}}
After the release of On Avery Island, Mangum recruited three musicians to tour with: Julian Koster, Jeremy Barnes, and Scott Spillane.{{sfn|Cooper|2005|pp=28–31}} On April 28, 1997, Neutral Milk Hotel began a national tour, during which the band members learned to play as a unit.{{sfn|Clair|2022|loc=Chapter 11 (Search phrase "The first Neutral Milk Hotel gig with this lineup took place at Brownies, a skinny, sweltering little bar in the East Village, on April 28, 1997")}} The On Avery Island tour generated enough money for the band members to afford to move to Athens, Georgia, where a large group of Elephant 6 musicians were living.{{sfn|Ballance|Cook|McCaughan|2009|p=99}} By the spring of 1997, Mangum had written and demoed nearly every song for a second album. He shared the demos with his bandmates before they moved to Denver to record the album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.{{sfn|Cooper|2005|p=52}}
= Retrospective commentary =
{{Album ratings
| subtitle = Retrospective reviews (after 1996)
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{sfn|Ankeny|n.d.}}
| rev3 = The Independent
| rev3Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{sfn|Harley|2008|p=33}}
| rev2 = The Guardian
| rev2score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{sfn|Hann|2008}}
| rev4 = Pitchfork
| rev4score = 8.8/10{{sfn|Geffen|2019}}
| rev5 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide
| rev5score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{sfn|Sarig|2004|p=579}}
| rev6 = The Skinny
| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{sfn|Bermingham|2008}}
| rev7 = Uncut
| rev7Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{sfn|O'Connell|2011|p=91}}
}}
Since its release, On Avery Island continued to receive positive reviews. Jason Ankeny of AllMusic described On Avery Island as "a fuzzy masterpiece of experimental lo-fi recording."{{sfn|Ankeny|n.d.}} The Rolling Stone Album Guide noted that despite the production limitations and underdeveloped lyrics, the album succeeds in blending multiple genres into a unique sound.{{sfn|Sarig|2004|p=579}} Sasha Geffen of Pitchfork highlighted the songs "You've Passed" and "Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone" as some of the best songs in Neutral Milk Hotel's discography, and wrote: "The abrupt transitions between perfect pop melodies and gaseous balls of noise lend the album a certain wildfire charm."{{sfn|Geffen|2019}}
Retrospective reviews often compare On Avery Island to Neutral Milk Hotel's second album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.{{harvnb|Bermingham|2008}}; {{harvnb|Geffen|2019}}; {{harvnb|Hann|2008}} The Guardian{{'s}} Michael Hann felt On Avery Island was the weaker of the two albums, and wrote: "You can hear Mangum groping towards the realisation of his vision on the likes of 'Song Against Sex' or 'A Baby for Pree,' but never quite finding it."{{sfn|Hann|2008}} Chris Morgan of Uproxx echoed this remark, and noted that On Avery Island is quieter and less ambitious than its successor.{{sfn|Morgan|2016}} Some critics believe On Avery Island{{'s}} cacophonous sound and abstract lyrics served as a blueprint for In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.{{harvnb|Bermingham|2008}}; {{harvnb|Geffen|2019}} Geffen wrote: "[On Avery Island] offers a glimpse of a pivotal songwriter in transition, moving from making shoddy cassettes for his friends to making art rock that spoke to untold thousands of lonely teens listening to pilfered mp3s late into the night."{{sfn|Geffen|2019}}
In 1998, Neutral Milk Hotel disbanded, and Mangum disappeared from the public eye.{{sfn|Morgan|2016}} Fans were not told why the band disbanded, and the subsequent speculation from online discussions significantly raised their profile.{{sfn|Clark|2008}} Neutral Milk Hotel and, in particular, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea gained a cult following and converted Mangum into a larger-than-life figure.{{sfn|Winkie|2016}} Some journalists have commented that due to the popularity of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, other recordings from Neutral Milk Hotel, such as On Avery Island, are often overlooked.{{harvnb|Morgan|2016}}; {{harvnb|Tenreyro|2021}}. Morgan highlighted the discrepancy between the two albums by comparing their Wikipedia articles from 2016. Morgan noted that In the Aeroplane Over the Sea{{'s}} article was deemed important enough to include a section titled "Legacy", whereas the entire On Avery Island article merely consisted of a few sentences.{{sfn|Morgan|2016}}
Track listing
All tracks are written by Jeff Mangum, except where noted. Horn arrangements composed by Robert Schneider.{{sfn|Anon.|1996a}}
{{Track listing
| title1 = Song Against Sex
| length1 = 3:40
| title2 = You've Passed
| length2 = 2:54
| title3 = Someone Is Waiting
| length3 = 2:31
| title4 = A Baby for Pree
| length4 = 1:21
| title5 = Marching Theme
| length5 = 2:58
| title6 = Where You'll Find Me Now
| length6 = 4:04
| title7 = Avery Island / April 1st
| note7 = Jeff Mangum, Robert Schneider
| length7 = 1:48
| title8 = Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone
| length8 = 3:14
| title9 = Three Peaches
| length9 = 4:01
| title10 = Naomi
| length10 = 4:53
| title11 = April 8th
| length11 = 2:47
| title12 = Pree-Sisters Swallowing a Donkey's Eye
| length12 = 13:49
| total_length = 47:58
}}
{{tracklist
| headline = On Avery Island{{nobold| – UK edition}}{{sfn|Anon.|n.d.}}
| title13 = Everything Is...
| length13 = 3:39
| title14 = Snow Song, Pt.1
| length14 = 3:49
}}
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of On Avery Island.{{sfn|Anon.|1996a}}
- Jeff Mangum – guitar, drums, vocals, bells, xylophone, air organ, keyboards, tapes, cover design
- Robert Schneider – air organs, home organs, fuzz bass, xylophone, horn arrangements
- Lisa Janssen – fuzz bass on tracks 2 and 8, cover design
- Rick Benjamin – trombone on tracks 1, 7, 8
Track 12 features Marisa Bissinger, Hilarie Sidney, Zachary DeMichele, Dane Terry, Lisa Janssen, Aaron Reedy, and Jeff Mangum performing various Indonesian instruments.
See also
Footnotes
{{reflist}}
References
{{refbegin|colwidth=30em|indent=yes}}
- {{cite web|last=Ankeny|first=Jason|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/on-avery-island-mw0000182824|title=On Avery Island – Neutral Milk Hotel|website=AllMusic|date=n.d.|access-date=September 26, 2013}}
- {{cite web|author=Anon.|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/on-avery-island-mr0001341653|title=On Avery Island|website=AllMusic|date=n.d.|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122092933/https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/on-avery-island-mr0001341653|archive-date=January 22, 2022|url-status=live}}
- {{cite AV media notes|author=Anon.|title=On Avery Island|type=liner notes|others=Neutral Milk Hotel|publisher=Merge Records|year=1996|ref={{SfnRef|Anon.|1996a}}}}
- {{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Just Out|magazine=CMJ New Music Monthly|date=April 1996|number=32|issn=1074-6978|ref={{SfnRef|Anon.|1996b|p=56}}}}
- {{cite book|last1=Ballance|first1=Laura|last2=Cook|first2=John|last3=McCaughan|first3=Mac|author-link1=Laura Ballance|author-link3=Mac McCaughan|title=Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records, the Indie Label That Got Big and Stayed Small|publisher=Algonquin Books|year=2009|isbn=978-1-5651-2968-9}}
- {{cite web|last=Bermingham|first=Finbarr|url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums/neutral-milk-hotel-on-avery-island|title=Neutral Milk Hotel – On Avery Island|website=The Skinny|date=January 6, 2008|access-date=April 23, 2020}}
- {{cite book|last=Clair|first=Adam|title=Endless Endless, A Lo-Fi History of the Elephant 6 Mystery|publisher=Hachette|year=2022|isbn=978-0-30692-3968|type=E-book}}
- {{cite web|last=Clark|first=Taylor|url=https://slate.com/culture/2008/02/jeff-mangum-the-salinger-of-indie-rock.html|title=The Salinger of Indie Rock|date=February 26, 2008|website=Slate|access-date=November 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214144048/https://slate.com/culture/2008/02/jeff-mangum-the-salinger-of-indie-rock.html|archive-date=February 14, 2020|url-status=live}}
- {{cite book|last=Cooper|first=Kim|year=2005|title=In the Aeroplane Over the Sea|series=33⅓|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|isbn=0-8264-1690-X}}
- {{cite book|last=Earles|first=Andrew|title=Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996|publisher=The Quarto Group|year=2014|isbn=978-0-7603-4648-8}}
- {{cite web|last=Geffen|first=Sasha|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/neutral-milk-hotel-on-avery-island/|title=Neutral Milk Hotel: On Avery Island Album Review|website=Pitchfork|date=June 22, 2019|access-date=June 23, 2019}}
- {{cite web|last=Goldsmith|first=Mike|url=https://nme.com/reviews/reviews/19980101000114reviews.html|title=Neutral Milk Hotel – On Avery Island|website=NME|date=n.d.|access-date=September 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990502001857/http://nme.com/reviews/reviews/19980101000114reviews.html|archive-date=May 2, 1999|url-status=dead}}
- {{cite web|last=Hann|first=Michael|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/jan/04/popandrock.shopping|title=Neutral Milk Hotel, On Avery Island|website=The Guardian|date=January 4, 2008|access-date=April 23, 2020}}
- {{cite news|last=Harley|first=Kevin|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111762650/|title=Neutral Milk Hotel: On Avery Island (Fire Records)|work=The Independent|date=5 January 2008|via=Newspapers.com {{open access|access-date=22 October 2022}}}}
- {{cite web|last=Jones|first=J.R.|url=https://chicagoreader.com/music/neutral-milk-hotel/|title=Neutral Milk Hotel|website=Chicago Reader|date=April 23, 1998|accessdate=January 24, 2022}}
- {{cite magazine|last=McMullen|first=Phil|author-link=Phil McMullen|title=Neutral Milk Hotel|magazine=Ptolemaic Terrascope|date=September 1996}}
- {{cite web|last=Morgan|first=Chris|url=https://uproxx.com/music/neutral-milk-hotel-on-avery-island/|title=Why Is 'On Avery Island' The 'Other' Neutral Milk Hotel Album?|website=Uproxx|date=March 28, 2016|access-date=November 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720112624/http://uproxx.com/music/neutral-milk-hotel-on-avery-island/|archive-date=July 20, 2017|url-status=live}}
- {{cite magazine|last=O'Connell|first=Sharon|title=Neutral Milk Hotel: On Avery Island|magazine=Uncut|date=September 2011|issn=1368-0722}}
- {{cite web|last=Richardson|first=Mark|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16160-box-set/|title=Neutral Milk Hotel – Box Set|website=Pitchfork|date=January 9, 2012|access-date=September 1, 2020|archive-date=November 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119121209/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16160-box-set/|url-status=live}}
- {{cite book|chapter=Neutral Milk Hotel|last=Sarig|first=Roni|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|publisher=Simon & Schuster|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8}}
- {{cite web|last=Tenreyro|first=Tatiana|url=https://www.avclub.com/neutral-milk-hotel-made-a-brilliant-record-the-first-ti-1846632620|title=Neutral Milk Hotel made a brilliant record the first time around, too|website=The A.V. Club|date=April 14, 2021|accessdate=January 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202144628/https://www.avclub.com/neutral-milk-hotel-made-a-brilliant-record-the-first-ti-1846632620|archive-date=December 2, 2021|url-status=live}}
- {{cite web|last=Winkie|first=Luke|url=https://www.avclub.com/how-did-the-neutral-milk-hotel-legend-get-so-out-of-han-1798247155|title=How did the Neutral Milk Hotel legend get so out of hand?|website=The A.V. Club|date=May 11, 2016|access-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504003441/https://music.avclub.com/how-did-the-neutral-milk-hotel-legend-get-so-out-of-han-1798247155|archive-date=May 4, 2019|url-status=live}}
- {{cite web|last=Wolff|first=Kurt|url=https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/The-Cure-Keeps-Its-Edge-2983730.php|title=Neutral Milk Hotel a Nice Place to Visit|website=Houston Chronicle|date=May 5, 1996|access-date=September 20, 2017}}
{{refend}}
{{Neutral Milk Hotel|state=uncollapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Fire Records (UK) albums