With a single cult album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998), the Neutral Milk Hotel band made American rock history. The solo project created in 1989 in Ruston (Louisiana) by guitarist and singer Jeff Mangum grew into a band with the founders of the Elephant Six Recording Co. label. From the first cassette recordings with sidekicks Robert Schneider, Bill Doss and Will Cullen Hart to the 1993 demo album Hype City Soundtrack, Jeff Mangum wandered between Athens (Georgia), Denver, Los Angeles and Seattle, where he recorded the track "Everything Is" for Cher Doll Records and collaborated with Apples in Stereo, before signing with Merge Records to record the acclaimed album On Avery Island (1996). From then on, a real band took shape with Julian Koster (bass, accordion, banjo), Scott Spillane (trumpet, trombone, guitar) and Jeremy Barnes (drums), who toured before recording one of the decade's most influential albums, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998). Produced by Robert Schneider, this opus of folk and noisy rock, with its fanfare and neo-psychedelic overtones, met with growing public approval, which turned into an unexpected cult, first on the Internet, then in the specialized reviews, which revised its impact and influence upwards, notably with a 10/10 rating from the Pitchfork website. However, the shady personality of the reclusive Jeff Mangum got the better of the band, who had already broken up after a concert in London in October 1998, when the general craze began. After a reissue of In the Aeroplane in 2005, the frontman embarked on two solo tours, while the EP of previously unreleased tracks, Ferris Wheel on Fire, was released. In 2013, Neutral Milk Hotel embarked on a reunion tour, which continued until 2015. The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel, released in 2023, contains all the band's recordings, including the live album Live at Jittery's Joe.
