I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "Another week of Neutral Milk Hotel?! Oh, boy! I'm so glad you started this 'People Covering Songs I Love' series, Amber!" And my response to that is "Gee, didn't you think the exact same thing LAST week? Change your tune, broken record!" But also, I must commend you on being astute. Yes, this is the third consecutive week of a Mangum-themed People Covering Songs I Love. Why? Well, I think it goes back to the point made in my original post: Neutral Milk Hotel is one of the most beloved indie rock bands of all time (Of all time!) so near everyone has done a cover of their favorite Aeroplane tune at least once. Type "Neutral Milk Hotel cover" into your friendly neighborhood youtube search engine and thousands of results, ranging from genuine musicians to bedroom covers, pop up. Chances are, if you're an indie rocker in your mid-twenties, you cut your teeth on Mangum's Anne Frank obsession early on.
The interesting thing is that because of these covers, you find just how far Mangum's influence has reached. It's pretty obvious that past People Covering Songs I Love ladies and gents Kevin Devine, Eisley, and Fanfarlo were all fans of Neutral Milk Hotel as all three of them occasionally wear their love for the band on their audible sleeve but less obvious is Arizona folk punk duo Andrew Jackson Jihad. Who knew that they loved Mangum as much as I do? Certainly not me! I long imagined front man Sean "Andrew Jackson" Bonette rocking out to Against Me!, Crass, and The Rolling Stones but Neutral Milk Hotel? No way! I was more than pleasantly surprised when Andrew Jackson Jihad lovingly tackled a seminal Aeroplane classic as a part of The Vinyl Collective's Under The Influence Series and, to be honest, it just made me respect them all the more.
Andrew Jackson Jihad - Two Headed Boy Part One
With all the attention In The Aeroplane Over The Sea gets, it's easy to forget that Neutral Milk Hotel had a debut album before composing their swan song opus. The fact of the matter is that, in my opinion, On Avery Island has more stand out single songs whereas Aeroplane is more of a perfect piece of art form start to finish. In fact, On Avery Island's "Where You'll Find Me Now" is my favorite Mangum composition. Shocking? Maybe. But the fact of the matter is that songs from On Avery Island are much more conducive to being stuck on mixes or played on college radio. Regardless, covers of songs from the LP tend to be hard to come by.
So, naturally, I was pleasantly surprised when my favorite Scot this side of Alex Kapranos tackled "Song Against Sex". What can I say? I saved my favorite Neutral Milk Hotel cover for last.
Frightened Rabbit - Song Against Sex
the video is cute! :D
Posted by: bob jain | 11/24/2010 at 05:43 PM