Neutral Milk Hotel

Top Five Must-See Phoenix Shows This Week

Do not cross Miranda Lambert. You can go see her perform on Thursday, at Desert Sky Pavilion, and you can listen to her music, and you can probably even say you're a big fan, or go buy a t-shirt. But crossing her does not seem to be a good idea, if the subject matter of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, her ... More >>

Albums Redesigned as Vintage Book Covers by Christophe Gowans

If the recent death of Storm Thorgerson was any indication, music is often married to its album art. All the more reason to take something incredibly iconic in the age of Pirate Bay and iPods and turn it on its head, like the graphic reinventions of Christophe Gowans. The former Esquire art director ... More >>

Man or Astro-Man? @ Crescent Ballroom

Neutral Milk Hotel Reunion: The Three Best (and Worst) Aeroplane Over the Sea Lyrics

Longtime hermit, certified genius-oddball, and Neutral Milk Hotel frontman Jeff Mangum is getting the band back together for a paltry smattering of tour dates this summer. In honor of the wonderful news, we've put together a list of the three best and three worst lines from NMH's magnum opus, In the ... More >>

Jeff Mangum, Crescent Ballroom, 3/28/13

Jeff Mangum @ Crescent Ballroom|3/28/13Okay, so it's announced that Jeff Mangum is coming to town and he has two shows the same night. That means I have to choose. Which one? Which one! Will he play the same songs twice? If so, the second half is bound to suck, right, because he's gonna be tired and ... More >>

Reclusive Neutral Milk Hotel Songwriter Steps Back into the Spotlight

Chad Horstman, What Are You Listening To?

Chad HorstmanHorstman is the CEO of Yandy.com, an online lingerie and costume retailer.When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now?  The radio is pretty bad. I usually stream Pandora.What's the first album you bought? Bon Jovi.What's the first ... More >>

Who Decides What Rock is "Classic Rock?"

Not everyone has the luxury of having an auxiliary jack in their car stereo. With the amount of leaks, holes, and weird noises coming from my engine, I'm lucky my beat up truck still runs period. I can't be asking for a decent stereo. So my commuting music consists entirely of FM radio, which is sti ... More >>

Axe Finally Uses a Daniel Johnston Song About Loneliness For a Sexist Commercial

See also: Daniel Johnston Is Coming to PhoenixBy Matthew Reveles You know Axe, the company that makes body spray and hair care products for arch-douchers. And if you're reading this blog, you might even know Daniel Johnston, relatively obscure, indie cult hero, and tortured artist. Well, finally, t ... More >>

Jeff Mangnum, fIREHOSE, and More: The Best Of Coachella, Saturday, April 14

See also: Coachella: Radiohead's Weekend 1 Set Has No Alarms and No Surprises See also: Coachella: The Black Lips' Cole Alexander Goes Full Monty, Plays Guitar With His Ding-Dong See also: Best of Coachella Weekend One: Friday, April 13 Everyone was ready to shit their pants for Radiohead, but ther ... More >>

Music Tapes Tonight at Trunk Space: Listen to an Unreleased Neutral Milk Hotel Track feat. Julian Koster

Music Tapes​Remember when April Ludgate-Dwyer (played by Aubrey Plaza) of NBC's Parks and Recreation said that her favorite band was Neutral Milk Hotel in an episode last season? That ruled. It was surreal hearing that particular band name dropped on network television -- NMH isn't your garden ... More >>

Eli Kluger, What Are You Listening To?

Eli Kluger​Eli Kluger The film director is currently shooting a thiller about Furries. Clips can be viewed on www.youtube.com/furrymovie.When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? 103.9-FM. I alternate between three or four rock&nbs ... More >>

Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour at The Duce Last Night

Christopher HassiotisWill Cullen Hart of the Olivia Tremor Control and Circulatory System. Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise TourThe DuceFriday, March 4"Can you turn up the toy piano?" is not a request many soundmen get, or that many bands make, so it's probably a good thing that the Elephant 6 Holiday S ... More >>

The Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour Is Everything Right About the Athens Music Scene

Neutral Milk Hotel, "Holland, 1945"

Song: Neutral Milk Hotel, "Holland, 1945"Context: One of my favorite songs from an Elephant 6 act, in honor of tomorrow's Holiday Surprise Tour at The Duce. Holland, 1945

March 2 In Blogs: Scott Bungaard, Ace Hotel, SXSW, Papago Brewing, David Cavazos

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Matt Pond on Recording, Severed Tendons, and Texas

​Matt Pond recorded his most recent album, The Dark Leaves in a secluded New York cabin last year. Looking to get away from the cold solitude of the cabin, he went to Austin a couple weeks ago to begin recording his ninth full-length album.He is about to embark on a two-month co-headlining tour wi ... More >>

Michelle Edwards, What Are You Listening To?

Michelle Edwards​Michelle Edwards The local improviser performs with Dangerville at 7 Minutes in Love on Saturday, February 12 at Space 55 at 9 p.m., immediately followed by Dangerville in the Cagematch improv competition, also at Space 55. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on ... More >>

Julian Koster (of Neutral Milk Hotel) Brings Slumber Party Like Show to Trunk Space Tuesday Night

​Elephant 6 stallwart Julian Koster, formerly of of Neutral Milk Hotel, has been doing weird shows with his new band The Music Tapes for years. For example, playing "White Christmas" outside random apartments in New York as part of an annual Christmas Carol tour.These are the sorts of tours that o ... More >>

Nov. 15 In Blogs: Russell Pearce, Burlesque, Girl Talk, Pie, and Susan Brock

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

What's Spinning: Radio Phoenix

Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox​New Times singled Radio Phoenix out in our annual Best Of Phoenix issue as the "Best Online Music Station That Should Be a Radio Station."Actually, in addition to being too-indie-for-the-airwaves the station spins a few things that aren't even topping the charts at the ... More >>

Neutral Milk Hotel Needs Your Help

Yes, Neutral Milk Hotel, the Louisiana-bred indie act that's been broken up for a decade, has dispatched an e-mail asking for help. And, since I'm something of an Elephant 6 fan boy, I immediately made a mental pledge to assist in any way I could.Turns out I'll be voting to save some carousel horses ... More >>

April 30 In Blogs: Spy Cameras, Taryn Thomas, Brian Pulido and More

We understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: Valley Fever: Spy Cameras in Downtown Chandler Chase Off Employers of Day Laborers U ... More >>

Amazon Trots out Their "100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums of All Time"

Amazon takes their shot at indie rock's 100 greatest albumsThe fine folks over at amazon.com decided that the time was ripe to assemble a list of the best indie rock albums of all time. Indie rock is a genre either really easy to define or kind of confusing to define, but that sentiment did not hol ... More >>

2008's Best Christmas CDs

Just Announced Shows: Dressy Bessy, Icy Demons, Reel Big Fish, Young Buck

Foot Ox’s Teague Cullen works toward modest dreams in the Tempe music scene

Page France

Pop, not corn

Of Montreal

Yummy indie-corporate dissonance

Happy Returns

The cult of Neutral Milk Hotel should perhaps prepare for a second coming

Pit er Pat

Shaken and stirred

Sufjan Stevens

50 nifty songs to look forward to

Solar Power

Of Montreal's intricate pop revels in the dark side of the sun

Smells Like Indie Spirit

Music that made the world safe for the word "alternative" again

The End

Within Dividia (Relapse)

Starlight Mints

A magical mystery tour

Southern Comfort

With Creatures, Athens' Elf Power releases another darkly poppish masterstroke

John Vanderslice

Time Travel is Lonely(Barsuk Records)

Hoax, Lies and Audiotape

John Vanderslice is an excellent musician and songwriter. He's also a pretty good prankster.

Winter Hawks

Athens, Georgia's Elf Power takes a slightly dark turn with its latest

Brooklyn Dodgers

Blake Schwarzenbach says Jets to Brazil is a desperate band. A desperate American band.

Bugs' Buffet

Tempted by record company largess? Drink up and dig right in.

Find Our Way

On their new album, the Apples in Stereo don't sound like anyone but themselves

Celebrate Good Times, C'mon!

Merge and Matador reach 10 years of indie success

Murality Play

Steven Yazzie creates a media circus

Recordings

Phony War

Les Payne Product starts a joke, which starts the whole world crying