History Music / InTheAeroplaneOverTheSea

As journalists have retrospectively noted, the release of ''ITAOTS'' lined up quite nicely with the rise of the Internet, and as the album and band became common fixtures on message boards and in the circulations of early music outlets like Pitchfork, what began life as a surreal, obscure indie album received a ''massive'' cult following, elevating its status to [[RevivalByCommercialization one of the most acclaimed and celebrated indie rock albums of all time]]. Many would identify the most well-known aspect of the album's following as the FountainOfMemes its art and lyrics generated on Website/FourChan's /mu/ board -- memes that have almost overshadowed the real album itself.

However, this album's sudden burst in popularity was not wholly beneficial to the band. Mangum struggled with the band's newfound attention, and the stress from constant touring and being repeatedly asked to explain his lyrics bore down intensely on his mental health, to the point that he shut himself in his home for days on end and eventually decided that he would not be able to continue writing and performing songs, but could not will himself to express this to his fellow band members, as they had just experienced their first substantial success, and some of them had quit jobs to be in the band.

At the time of its release, the album received lukewarm reception as the masses didn't really find it to be anything to write home about.

Then the Internet came.

In the blink of an eye, ''ITAOTS'' received the {{Colbert Bump}} [[note]] Strangely enough, the song "Holland, 1945" was used in the final episode of ''Series/TheColbertReport'' on December 19, 2014, to pay tribute to Colbert's father and two of his older brothers, Peter and Paul, who died in a plane crash when he was 10 years old. [[/note]] to end them all, being pulled from obscurity and [[RevivalByCommercialization becoming one of the most celebrated indie rock albums of all time]], especially due to the album gaining a ''massive'' cult following on Website/FourChan's /mu/ board. It's also acknowledgeable due to the endless [[MemeticMutation memes]] that have stemmed from the album's art or lyrics. In fact, these memes have almost overshadowed the real album itself.

However, this album's sudden burst in popularity was just as detrimental to the band as it was beneficial. Eventually music press wouldn't leave the band (especially frontman Jeff Mangum) alone, and the depression of his thoughts constantly swirling around his obsession caused him to have a nervous breakdown, which caused the band to split in 1999, only to have a ''ITAOTS'' reunion tour in fall 2013 and announce their final tour for spring 2015.

* LoudnessWar: This album is really clipped for a folk album, with a dynamic range rating of [=DR6=] and a ReplayGain value of -9.80 [=dB=]. The 2009 vinyl appears to have been sourced from the same master as the CD. This may be a case of digital distortion being used intentionally (the album actually credits "white noise" as a musical instrument), but it's still really disorienting at first.

* CallBack / DarkReprise: "Two Headed Boy Pt. 2" references "Two Headed Boy" towards the end.

* LoudnessWar: This album is really clipped for a folk album, with a dynamic range rating of DR6 and a ReplayGain value of -9.80 dB. The 2009 vinyl appears to have been sourced from the same master as the CD. This may be a case of digital distortion being used intentionally (the album actually credits "white noise" as a musical instrument) but it's still really disorienting at first.

# "[untitled]" (2:16)

* FadingIntoTheNextSong: "King of Carrot Flowers pt. 1" -> "King of Carrot Flowers pts. 2 and 3," "Two-Headed Boy" -> "The Fool," "Communist Daughter" -> "Oh Comely," and "Ghost" -> "[untitled]" -> "Two-Headed Boy pt. 2" all do this.

* {{Instrumental}}: "The Fool", "[untitled]."

* NoTitle: The track "[untitled]."
** It was later titled "The Penny Arcade in California."

''In the Aeroplane Over the Sea'' (1998) is the second album released by American indie rock band Music/NeutralMilkHotel. It was recorded in the at the time newly formed Pet Sounds Studio, named after the [[Music/PetSounds lauded classic]] by Music/TheBeachBoys, featuring the eclectic instrumentation and bizarre lyricism that the band would be known for. At the time of its release, the album received lukewarm reception as the masses didn't really find it to be anything to write home about.

Then the internet came.

In the blink of an eye, ''ITAOTS'' received the {{Colbert Bump}} [[note]] The song "Holland, 1945" was used in the final episode of ''Series/TheColbertReport'' on December 19, 2014, to pay tribute to Colbert's father and two of his older brothers, Peter and Paul, who died in a plane crash when he was 10 years old. [[/note]] to end them all and went from [[RevivalByCommercialization a generally unknown album to one of the most celebrated indie rock albums of all time]], especially due to the album gaining a ''massive'' cult following on Website/FourChan's /mu/ board. It's also acknowledgeable due to the endless [[MemeticMutation memes]] that have stemmed from the album's art or lyrics. In fact, these memes have almost overshadowed the real album itself.

-->''And one day we will die, and our ashes will fly''\\

* HiddenTrack: Sort of. "Oh Comely" includes part of an unreleased track named "Goldaline" at the end, though it's usually considered a part of the song proper anyway.

* EpicRocking: "Oh Comely" is over 8 minutes long.

* ConceptAlbum: Very often considered to be one about Anne Frank. Whether it is or not is a topic that we probably shouldn't get into.

'''''In the Aeroplane Over the Sea''''' (1998) is the second album released by American indie rock band Music/NeutralMilkHotel. It was recorded in the at the time newly formed Pet Sounds Studio, named after the [[Music/PetSounds lauded classic]] by Music/TheBeachBoys, featuring the eclectic instrumentation and bizarre lyricism that the band would be known for. At the time of its release, the album received lukewarm reception as the masses didn't really find it to be anything to write home about.

In the blink of an eye, ''ITAOTS'' received the {{Colbert Bump}} [[note]] The song "Holland, 1945" was used in the final episode of ''Series/TheColbertReport'' on December 19, 2014, to pay tribute to Colbert's father and two of his older brothers, Peter and Paul, who died in a plane crash when he was 10 years old. [[/note]] to end them all and went from [[RevivalByCommercialization a generally unknown album to one of the most celebrated indie rock albums of all time]], especially due to the album gaining a ''massive'' cult following on [[ImageBoards 4chan's /mu/ board]]. It's also acknowledgeable due to the endless [[MemeticMutation memes]] that have stemmed from the album's art or lyrics. In fact, these memes have almost overshadowed the real album itself.

'''''In the Aeroplane Over the Sea''''' (1998) is the second album released by American indie rock band Music/NeutralMilkHotel. It was recorded in the at the time newly formed Pet Sounds Studio, named after the [[Music/PetSounds lauded classic]] by the Music/BeachBoys, featuring the eclectic instrumentation and bizarre lyricism that the band would be known for. At the time of its release, the album received lukewarm reception as the masses didn't really find it to be anything to write home about.

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[ShoutOut Can't believe]] [[Literature/AliceInWonderland how strange it is to be anything at all..]]'']]

'''''In the Aeroplane Over the Sea''''' (1998) is the second album released by American indie rock band Music/NeutralMilkHotel. It was recorded in the at-the-time newly formed Pet Sounds Studio, named after the [[Music/PetSounds lauded classic]] by the Music/BeachBoys, featuring the eclectic instrumentation and bizarre lyricism that the band would be known for. At the time of its release, the album received lukewarm reception as the masses didn't really find it to be anything to write home about.

Then the Internet came.

!!Tracklist:

!!''In the aeroplane over the tropes'':

* {{Instrumental}}: "The Fool", "[untitled]".
* LocationSong: "Holland, 1945" alludes to the life of [[Literature/TheDiaryOfAYoungGirl Anne Frank]], who lived in Amsterdam until she and her family were arrested and deported by the Nazis in 1944.

* NoTitle: The track "[untitled]".
** It was later titled "The Penny Arcade In California".

* WeAllDieSomeday: The title track acknowledges this and notes on how we shouldn't let that one thing keep us down, and that there's so much beauty in life to see before it's too late.

However, this album did much to break the band just as severely as they had made the band. Eventually music press wouldn't leave the band (especially frontman Jeff Mangum) alone, and the depression of his thoughts constantly swirling around his obsession caused him to have a nervous breakdown, which caused the band to split in 1999, only to have a ''ITAOTS'' reunion tour in fall 2013 and announce their final tour for spring 2015.

* RecycledInSpace: Anne Frank...ON [[Creator/SigmundFreud FREUD!]]

* CallBack: "Two Headed Boy Pt. 2" references "Two Headed Boy" towards the end.

* {{Instrumental}}: "The Fool".

[[caption-width-right:350:''Can't believe how strange it is to be anything at all..'']]

In the blink of an eye, ''ITAOTS'' received the {{Colbert Bump}} to end them all and went from a generally unknown album to one of the most celebrated indie rock albums of all time, especially due to the album gaining a ''massive'' cult following on [[ImageBoards 4chan's /mu/ board]]. It's also acknowledgeable due to the endless [[MemeticMutation memes]] that have stemmed from the album's art or lyrics. In fact, these memes have almost overshadowed the real album itself.