Merge just put out some videos from a Neutral Milk Hotel show at the old Knitting Factory in 1998 in conjunction with the reissue of In The Aeroplane Over The Sea on 180-gram vinyl. They’re good quality and certainly showcase the sound and song of the band. They also weirdly showcase Jeff as a budding style icon, as one Stereogum commenter astutely points out, rocking what can only be considered a precursor to the Anton Chigurh No Country For Old Men haircut. But that’s another story. The only sadness comes in here when we, as (fairly) young music writers, also see this as a tribute to one of the most interesting bands of our time in a way that we will probably never get a chance to see. Oh well, at least we live in the age of YouTube! Check out “Two Headed Boy” and “April 8″ below.

(Via: Stereogum via Merge)

Calm down, calm down. I know what you’re thinking: triple LP re-mastered re-issue complete with new songs, rare live performances and a Magnum bedroom demo’s that not even Will Cullen Hart has heard. Sorry to burst your bubble kid, but it’s not. Rather, Merge is set to re-release Neutral Milk Hotel’s magnum opus In the Aeroplane Over the Sea on 180-gram vinyl. Good news, right, especially since I know you’ve been using the lousy 120-gram you made your parents buy you for Christmas. True to form, Merge will also re-issue NMH’s debut record On Avery Island, which, despite being completely overshadowed by Aeroplane, is a mighty fine record. Seriously, you should check it out. The 180-gram reissues are due November 4th, which means you can probably sucker one out of your Grandma as a Thanksgiving present. She’s totally senile enough that she gives presents on Turkey Day, right? If not, we apologize.

Somewhere a snobby, homosexual indie-rocker with black-rimmed glasses is saying, “I told you it could be done.” [Note: Paris Hilton is not in the musical.]
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Julian Koster and his bandmates in Neutral Milk Hotel are trying to keep a legendary landmark alive, and they need your help. You don’t need money, just an active clicking finger and an internet connection.
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Nothing can induce a potent combination of nostalgia and rage like the time-honored top 100 list. All the major music magazines have come out with at least one or two, and Rolling Stone has about a one-per-month quota. But this latest one comes from a slightly unlikely source — Amazon. Apparently they don’t just sell you music. They might actually know a little something about it, too. Maybe.
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