ITT: We try to have a real intellectual discussion about this album

I'm not sure Sup Forums can do it?

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WHEN

With all the glowing five-star reviews I've read, and with so many people telling me this album was the new barometer of musical genius, I had to buy it. I have listened to this album many, many times, and it always leaves me perplexed. "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," to me, is hopelessly mediocre, infantile, poorly recorded, poorly performed, and not at all worth the hype it has received on this website. Anyone who believes this album is "genius," or "innovative" should pick up Webster's dictionary, look up the meaning of those words, and ask themselves if they really describe this album accurately. Many have pointed out the significance of the album's recurring theme of Anne Frank as if it were some brilliant stroke of lyrical mastery. I'm sorry, but most of us read the Diary of Anne Frank in the sixth grade, and the fact that Jeff Mangum is obsessed with it now only proves his childish intellect. His voice is, in a word, abysmal. His supporting players are likewise out-of-tune, out-of-time, grasping for ideas from their limited palette. As for Ms. Frank, nothing new is learned; Mangum leaves only fragmented questions, and no new insight. Of course, fans of the band tell me I just don't get it, that it's so emotional, that it makes them cry. Yet they can't say why it affects them so. As for Neutral Milk Hotel (and the majority of the Elephant Six Collective), I can only say that they've broken no new ground, have no talent, and seem quite content to fool you with the dubious aesthetics of their lo-fi world. With approval from the potheads at CMJ, and the Michael Stipe Seal Of Approval, Neutral Milk Hotel and bands of their ilk, will continue to pump out what is the most overrated dross I think I've ever heard.

SEMEN STAINS THE MOUNTAINTOPS

You're better posting about this album in reddit tbqh

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>reddit

ITAOTS is the only Sup Forums core that matters. You're obviously too young to remember when we had 12 threads daily about it.

Yes but now it just gets meme'd to fuck

A marked Improvement over Avery Island ITAOS Brings much more emotion and instrumentation and its easy to see why Its considered one of the best albums.

April 8th is really fucking good tho

It's a 9/10 indie folk album. I liked it.

Doesn't mean that it's bad though. There's no reason to further the meme of ITAOTS being bad.

great response, quite surprising to see an actual thought out post

Phenomenal songwriting, endearing instrumentation, mediocre voals. memed to fuck. 8-9 out of 10. Anything else?

JEEEEEEEEEEESUUUUUUUS CHRI-...
sorry.

>mediocre vocals
Would cut it as simple as that but I pretty much agree though.

>potheads
>NMH
not exactly the same demographic

well, the actual quality of his voice is mediocre sure, but I think the delivery was pretty good and matched the instrumentation as well

This is the definition of a grower.

First listen I hated it, thought it was meme trash. Second listen, okay I can see why people like this. Third listen I loved it.

But I still made fun of people who put it in their charts, because having Sup Forumscore in your top albums is super pleb, right? Until I made my own chart, and was thinking of albums to finish it up, and thought "hey, this is a pretty good album." "No wait, it's better than these, it needs to be higher." "Oh it's also better than these, I should move it up more." "Better than these too, keep moving up!" Until it was in my top 15 or so.

When an album manages to be as cohesive as this, when each track contributes something to the overarching concept and flow and you find yourself struggling to pick a favorite song because that many of them give you goosebumps, that's how you know it's a 10/10. I understand the vocals will be polarizing to many, and not everyone will be able to get used to them, but it really fits so well for the music that they were making.

For me it's easy to see why this was, and is, very popular, it's just a great album.

10/10

I