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''On Avery Island'' is the debut studio album by American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed by Jeff Mangum in Ruston, Louisiana, in 1989. They were active until 1998, and then from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock and psy ...
. It was released in the United States on March 26, 1996, by
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expand ...
, and in the United Kingdom on September 30, 1996, by
Fire Records Fire Records was an American independent record label, set up in 1959 by Bobby Robinson. Amongst others, it released records by Lightnin' Hopkins, Elmore James, Buster Brown and Arthur Crudup. At one point it was thought Fire had issued the l ...
. At the time, Neutral Milk Hotel was a solo project of American musician
Jeff Mangum Jeffrey Nye Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Comp ...
, who recorded the album with producer
Robert Schneider Robert Peter Schneider (born March 9, 1971) is an American musician and mathematician. He is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer of rock/pop band the Apples in Stereo and has produced and performed on albums by Neutral Milk ...
from February to May 1995. ''On Avery Island'' is an
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
and
psychedelic folk Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelic music that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of contemporary folk music, folk, but adds musical elements common ...
album, with a
lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...
sound.


Background and recording

Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed by Jeff Mangum in Ruston, Louisiana, in 1989. They were active until 1998, and then from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock and psy ...
was formed in
Ruston, Louisiana Ruston is a small city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The 2020 population was 22,166. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex region and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Ruston is the prin ...
, in the late 1980s, as one of the many
home recording Home recording is the practice of recording sound in a private home instead of a professional recording studio. A studio set up for home recording is called a home studio or project studio. Home recording is widely practiced by voice actors, narra ...
projects of musician
Jeff Mangum Jeffrey Nye Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Comp ...
. The simple home recordings Mangum made with his friends
Robert Schneider Robert Peter Schneider (born March 9, 1971) is an American musician and mathematician. He is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer of rock/pop band the Apples in Stereo and has produced and performed on albums by Neutral Milk ...
,
Bill Doss Bill Doss (September 12, 1968 – July 30, 2012) was an American rock musician. He co-founded The Elephant 6 Recording Company in Athens, Georgia, and was a key member of the Olivia Tremor Control. Following the band's breakup, he led the Sunshi ...
, and
Will Cullen Hart William Cullen Hart (June 14, 1971 – November 29, 2024) was an American musician, singer, songwriter and visual artist. He was a co-founder of the Elephant 6 Recording Company, as well as the rock band the Olivia Tremor Control. Following that ...
led to the formation of the
Elephant 6 The Elephant 6 Recording Company is a loosely defined musical collective from the United States. Notable bands associated with the collective include The Apples in Stereo, Beulah, Circulatory System, Elf Power, The Minders, Neutral Milk Hotel, ...
musical collective. 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. The single's exposure convinced Mangum to record more music under this name. He moved to Denver, and began working with Schneider to record his first album ''On Avery Island''. ''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.


Composition

''On Avery Island'' is an
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
and
psychedelic folk Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelic music that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of contemporary folk music, folk, but adds musical elements common ...
album with a
lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...
sound. ''
The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...
'' likened the album's music to other 1990s lo-fi indie rock acts like
Smog Smog, or smoke fog, is a type of intense air pollution. The word "smog" was coined in the early 20th century, and is a portmanteau of the words ''smoke'' and ''fog'' to refer to smoky fog due to its opacity, and odour. The word was then inte ...
and
Guided by Voices Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. It has made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. The most well-known lineup of the band consisted o ...
. ''On Avery Island'' most experimental song is the thirteen-minute closing track "Pree-Sisters Swallowing a Donkey's Eye," which is a
drone Drone or The Drones may refer to: Science and technology Vehicle * Drone, a type of uncrewed vehicle, a class of robot ** Unmanned aerial vehicle or aerial drone *** Unmanned combat aerial vehicle ** Unmanned ground vehicle or ground drone ** Unma ...
song influenced by
gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...
and
noise music Noise music is a genre of music that is characterised by the expressive use of noise. This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical sound. Noise music include ...
. "Naomi" is about
Naomi Yang Naomi Yang may refer to: * Naomi Yang (musician) * Naomi Yang (actress) Naomi Yang, born Yang Yichen, is a Chinese-born British actress. She is best known for her roles in the BAFTA-nominated film Lilting (film), ''Lilting'' and Sky TV series ...
of
Galaxie 500 Galaxie 500 was an American indie rock band that formed in 1987 and split up in 1991 after releasing three studio albums: '' Today'' (1988), '' On Fire'' (1989), and '' This Is Our Music'' (1990). The band membership comprised guitarist and v ...
and Damon and Naomi.


Artwork

The cover art for the 1996 release of ''On Avery Island'' was designed by Jeff Mangum and Lisa Janssen. The United Kingdom release had different cover art, designed by Jill Carnes. In 2023, the album was rereleased with new cover art.


Release and reception


Initial release

''On Avery Island'' was released in the United States on March 26, 1996, by
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expand ...
, and in the United Kingdom on September 30, 1996, by
Fire Records Fire Records was an American independent record label, set up in 1959 by Bobby Robinson. Amongst others, it released records by Lightnin' Hopkins, Elmore James, Buster Brown and Arthur Crudup. At one point it was thought Fire had issued the l ...
. It sold around 5,000 copies, which Merge considered a success. ''On Avery Island'' received positive reviews from critics. Kurt Wolff of the ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
'' 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." Mike Goldsmith of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' 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." ''On Avery Island'' was ranked at number thirty-five on ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
''
Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...
poll for 1996. After the release of ''On Avery Island'', Mangum recruited three musicians to tour with:
Julian Koster Julian Koster (born July 26, 1972) is an American multidisciplinary artist. As a musician, he is a member of the Elephant 6 Collective, the leader of The Music Tapes, and a member of Neutral Milk Hotel. He is known for writing, directing, and a ...
, Jeremy Barnes, and
Scott Spillane Scott Edward Spillane (born September 26, 1965) is an American musician. He was part of The Gerbils and was one of the original members of the band Neutral Milk Hotel, for which he also served as a composer. He also has appeared on albums and i ...
. On April 28, 1997, Neutral Milk Hotel began a national tour, during which the band members learned to play as a unit. The ''On Avery Island'' tour generated enough money for the band members to afford to move to
Athens, Georgia Athens is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an Research I university, ...
, where a large group of Elephant 6 musicians were living. 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''.


Retrospective commentary

Since its release, ''On Avery Island'' continued to receive positive reviews. Jason Ankeny of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
described ''On Avery Island'' as "a fuzzy masterpiece of experimental lo-fi recording." ''
The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...
'' noted that despite the production limitations and underdeveloped lyrics, the album succeeds in blending multiple genres into a unique sound. Sasha Geffen of ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' 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." Retrospective reviews often compare ''On Avery Island'' to Neutral Milk Hotel's second album ''In the Aeroplane Over the Sea''. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' 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." Chris Morgan of ''
Uproxx Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...
'' echoed this remark, and noted that ''On Avery Island'' is quieter and less ambitious than its successor. Some critics believe ''On Avery Island'' cacophonous sound and abstract lyrics served as a blueprint for ''In the Aeroplane Over the Sea''. 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." In 1998, Neutral Milk Hotel disbanded, and Mangum disappeared from the public eye. Fans were not told why the band disbanded, and the subsequent speculation from online discussions significantly raised their profile. 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. 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.; . Morgan highlighted the discrepancy between the two albums by comparing their
Wikipedia Wikipedia is a free content, free Online content, online encyclopedia that is written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and the wiki software MediaWiki. Founded by Jimmy Wales and La ...
articles from 2016. Morgan noted that ''In the Aeroplane Over the Sea'' article was deemed important enough to include a section titled "Legacy", whereas the entire ''On Avery Island'' article merely consisted of a few sentences.


Track listing

All tracks are written by
Jeff Mangum Jeffrey Nye Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Comp ...
, except where noted. Horn arrangements composed by
Robert Schneider Robert Peter Schneider (born March 9, 1971) is an American musician and mathematician. He is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer of rock/pop band the Apples in Stereo and has produced and performed on albums by Neutral Milk ...
.


Personnel

Credits adapted from the
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
of ''On Avery Island''. *
Jeff Mangum Jeffrey Nye Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Comp ...
– guitar, drums, vocals, bells,
xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Each bar is an idiophone tuned to a pitch of a musical scale, whether pentatonic or heptatonic in the case of many African ...
, air organ, keyboards, tapes, cover design *
Robert Schneider Robert Peter Schneider (born March 9, 1971) is an American musician and mathematician. He is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer of rock/pop band the Apples in Stereo and has produced and performed on albums by Neutral Milk ...
– 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

* Avery Island (Louisiana)


Footnotes


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Authority control 1996 debut albums Fire Records (UK) albums Merge Records albums Neutral Milk Hotel albums Elephant 6 albums