The creation of singer-songwriter Jeff Mangum, Neutral Milk Hotel formed part of the loose knit Elephant 6 Recording Company collective of psych pop bands based in Athens, Georgia, USA. Mangum grew up in Ruston, Louisiana with fellow 60s enthusiasts Will Cullen Hart, Bill Doss and Robert Schneider, playing in various bands including Maggot and Cranberry Life Cycle. In 1990, Mangum relocated to Athens with Doss and Hart where they formed the Synthetic Flying Machine, which in turn evolved into the Olivia Tremor Control. Mangum appeared on that band’s debut California Demise EP before moving to Seattle, where he recorded the single ‘Everything Is’/‘Snow Song Pt. One’ and The Amazing Phantom Third Channel EP for Cher Doll Records. Mangum continued to perform live and record with other members of the Elephant 6 Recording Company before relocating to Denver to record Neutral Milk Hotel’s debut album with the aid of Schneider, now the leader of Apples In Stereo, Rick Benjamin, and Lisa Janssen. On Avery Island’ s folk-style melodies and lo-fi production values provided the perfect accompaniment for Mangum’s strident vocals and highly esoteric lyrics.
Schneider also helped out on 1998’s impressive follow-up In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, which featured a more stable line-up comprising Mangum, Scott Spillane (horns), Julian Koster (banjo/accordion) and Jeremy Barnes (drums). The album again eschewed the sunshine psych pop harmonies of Mangum’s Elephant 6 colleagues for a more personal exploration of the possibilities of four-track recording. The album was the final official release by Neutral Milk Hotel as the lack of commercial acceptance prompted Mangum to pull the plug on the band. Despite the growing cult status of their two albums he has resolutely refused to re-form Neutral Milk Hotel. Barnes later recorded under the unusual moniker A Hawk And A Hacksaw.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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The creation of singer-songwriter Jeff Mangum, Neutral Milk Hotel formed part of the loose knit Elephant 6 Recording Company collective of psych pop bands based in Athens, Georgia, USA. Mangum grew up in Ruston, Louisiana with fellow 60s enthusiasts Will Cullen Hart, Bill Doss and Robert Schneider, playing in various bands including Maggot and Cranberry Life Cycle. In 1990, Mangum relocated to Athens with Doss and Hart where they formed the Synthetic Flying Machine, which in turn evolved into the Olivia Tremor Control. Mangum appeared on that band’s debut California Demise EP before moving to Seattle, where he recorded the single ‘Everything Is’/‘Snow Song Pt. One’ and The Amazing Phantom Third Channel EP for Cher Doll Records. Mangum continued to perform live and record with other members of the Elephant 6 Recording Company before relocating to Denver to record Neutral Milk Hotel’s debut album with the aid of Schneider, now the leader of Apples In Stereo, Rick Benjamin, and Lisa Janssen. On Avery Island’ s folk-style melodies and lo-fi production values provided the perfect accompaniment for Mangum’s strident vocals and highly esoteric lyrics.