On Avery Island
On Avery Island is the debut studio album by American rock band Neutral Milk Hotel, released on March 26, 1996, by Merge Records. At the time, Neutral Milk Hotel was a solo project of American musician Jeff Mangum, who recorded the album with producer Robert Schneider from February to May 1995. On Avery Island is an indie rock and psychedelic folk album, with a lo-fi sound.
On Avery Island
March 26, 1996
February–May 1995
Pet Sounds Studio (Denver, Colorado
Dane Terry and Marisa Bissinger's home
47:58
Background and recording[edit]
Neutral Milk Hotel was formed in Ruston, Louisiana, in the late 1980s, as one of the many home recording projects of musician Jeff Mangum.[1] The simple home recordings Mangum made with his friends Robert Schneider, Bill Doss, and Will Cullen Hart led to the formation of the Elephant 6 musical collective.[2] After graduating from high school, Mangum moved to Seattle, and released the single "Everything Is" on Cher Doll Records, under the alias Neutral Milk Hotel.[3] The single's exposure convinced Mangum to record more music under this name.[4] He moved to Denver, and began working with Schneider to record his first album On Avery Island.[5]
On Avery Island was recorded from February to May 1995, and was produced and engineered by Schneider. According to the album’s liner notes, among a number of instrumental credits, Mangum played guitar, drums and vocals, and Schneider played bass, organ, and composed horn arrangements; the horn parts were played by trombonist Rick Benjamin. It was recorded at two different locations: about half of the album was recorded at the house of musicians Dane Terry and Marisa Bissinger, and the other half was recorded at Pet Sounds Studio.
Composition[edit]
On Avery Island is an indie rock and psychedelic folk album with a lo-fi sound.[6] The Rolling Stone Album Guide likened the album's music to other 1990s lo-fi indie rock acts like Smog and Guided by Voices.[7] On Avery Island's most experimental song is the thirteen-minute closing track "Pree-Sisters Swallowing a Donkey's Eye," which is a drone song influenced by gamelan and noise music.[8]
"Naomi" is about Naomi Yang of Galaxie 500 and Damon and Naomi.[9]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of On Avery Island.[32]
Track 12 features Marisa Bissinger, Hilarie Sidney, Zachary DeMichele, Dane Terry, Lisa Janssen, Aaron Reedy, and Jeff Mangum performing various Indonesian instruments.