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LA RECENSIONE
It's 1994 when Mr. Jeff Mangum, a distant veteran of the Synthetic Flying Machine (later known as The Olivia Tremor Control), and his new band, the Neutral Milk Hotel, release, after a series of demo tapes now hard to find, their first EP, "Everything Is".
With extremely low audio quality, even lower than the group's two subsequent albums, this record is a rapid journey into a sick universe. Although it precedes both albums, the EP represents the perfect synthesis of "On Avery Island" and "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea," featuring what seem to be embryonic songs that would follow. The title track, with its marked tendency towards rock and terrible distortion, closely recalls "Holland 1945" from several years later, just as the following "Snow Pt.1" turns out to be the perfect twin of "Communist Daughter". And if the crazy delirium of "Aunt Emma Blowtorch" is reminiscent of the final track of the band's first album, "Pree-Sister Swallowing Donkey's Eye", "Tuesday Song" proves to be a rhythmically more cheerful and melodic song, still similar to "Holland".
Finished with all these comparisons, there's very little left to say about "Everything Is". This EP is, as already mentioned, a simple embryo, a small taste of the two undisputed masterpieces that will follow.
Only for enthusiasts.
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Summary by Bot
Released in 1994, 'Everything Is' is Neutral Milk Hotel's debut EP featuring low-fidelity recordings and embryonic versions of songs that later appeared on their acclaimed albums. The EP blends raw rock with experimental distortion, hinting at the band’s future sound. Though imperfect in audio quality, it offers a unique glimpse into Jeff Mangum's early work. Recommended mainly for dedicated fans and collectors.Tracklist Lyrics
01 Everything Is (03:39)
Growing sleepy as the rain falls
As children draped in flowers form a chain
They sing a song with jelly jars and bird calls
As night falls into dust and it's day again
I'm not afraid of a love parade in my daydream
Old men with kazoos and beating drums
But I awake and I see the streets are ice cream
It's just you and me and oh dear, our life has just begun
Everything is beautiful here
It's spinning circles around my ears
I'm finally breaking free from fear
And it's fading
Oh beautiful smiles, won't you stay awhile
We could close the door and sleep all day
It's a September sky with pretty pictures in my mind
That's lost its feeling of so afraid
Everything is beautiful here
It's spinning circles around my ears
I'm finally breaking free from fear
And it's fading
Grown sleepy now as the rain falls
As children draped in flowers form a chain
They sing a song with jelly jars and bird calls
As night falls into dust and it's day again
Everything is beautiful here
It's spinning circles around my ears
I'm finally breaking free from fear
And it's fading
03 Aunt Eggma Blowtorch (04:59)
This song was recorded in Jeff's bedroom in Louisiana
when he was 17 years of age. Some of the sounds featured
are his sister playing piano, his mother hearing
sounds from space, the baby brother of Will Cullen Hart talking, a blender,
and the music of Ornette Coleman.
Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel is an American indie band led by Jeff Mangum, associated with the Elephant 6 collective. They released two studio albums—On Avery Island (1996) and the acclaimed In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)—plus early material like the EP Everything Is (1994). Their sound blends lo‑fi indie folk with psychedelic textures and unconventional instrumentation.06 Reviews
