Set for release on 24th February on Fire Records, Neutral Milk Hotel’s explosive 1996 debut, ‘On Avery Island’ receives a deluxe reissue treatment. Available on both double yellow and red vinyl, this new brand-new pressing comes complete with revised artwork and cut at 45RPM, all in collaboration with Jeff Mangum.
“The oft-overshadowed debut from indie rock icons.. it offers a glimpse of a pivotal songwriter in transition” Pitchfork ★★★★1/2
Like translations of a shared subconscious, 1996’s ‘On Avery Island’ gave voice to the perennial spirit of youthful epiphany, of beginning to see the world clearly, to process and express it — no matter when you encounter them. With lo-fi indie rock, accordion, singing saw, tape collages, the so-called “zanzithophone” and beyond, Neutral Milk Hotel created an eternal entry into their Elephant 6 scene and an enduring feeling of possibility.
Jeff Mangum’s songs are cryptic and crazed, his ideas fast and furious, and together they force the home-recording concept out of the basement and into a brave new world, a fuzzy masterpiece of experimental lo-fi recording.
Full of rapid-fire wordplay with true and heartfelt experimentation, both ambitious and eclectic, it’s not hard to see why this has been a hugely influential album.
Neutral Milk Hotel won over many a music critic with this cult classic. Recognized as one of the most influential alternative acts to come out of the mid-90s, they shaped everything from anti-folk to the likes of Arcade Fire, Caribou and even Franz Ferdinand.
Alongside Fire Records’ release, ‘The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel’ (Merge) marks the collection’s first digital release, and includes an expanded double LP edition of ‘On Avery Island’, an exclusive 12” picture disc of Live at Jittery Joe’s, a previously unreleased live recording of “Little Birds”, plus the “Holland, 1945” / “Engine” 7-inch on black vinyl with brand new art.
“A brilliant record.. On Avery Island hits hard because it’s more rooted in reality, possessing rich storytelling with which anyone can identify” AV Club
Out 24th February. Available on LTD Edition Double Yellow and Red Vinyl, Gatefold Sleeve + Insert
