This record is a milestone of indie pop. As the breakthrough album for the group of bands known as the 'Elephant 6 collective' it represented a bright new sound ringing with the innocence of a lost age. Fronted by singer/guitarist Robert Schneider, this magic moment in time is difficult to compare to the band's technically superior later work.
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On Avery Island Neutral Milk Hotel 1996 [Merge]
The first of a pair of fabulous records from the Elephant 6 collective's Neutral Milk Hotel. Chief songwriter and mainstay Jeff Magnum specialises in lo-fi psych-folk vignettes spiced with the occasional bit of distorted fuzz and sonic invention. Although a makeshift lineup, the musicians on hand prove more than capable of pulling it all off.
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Music From the Unrealized Film Script The Olivia Tremor Control 1996 [Flydaddy]
One of the three progenitive Elephant 6 collective projects to come out of Athens, Georgia. The album displays significant influences from the Beatles' White Album era, but there are also ample helpings of the experimental folksy psych that typifies many E6 recordings. Four more OTC albums were released before officially breaking up in 2000.
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In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Neutral Milk Hotel 1998 [Merge]
By the time of this record NMH was a fully-fledged band. Coming out of the Elephant 6 collective, chief songwriter Jeff Magnum based the record on the WWII story of Anne Frank's treatment at the hands of the Nazis. For quirky lo-fi psych-folk the album not only gained significant critical acclaim, but surprisingly sold a few copies as well.
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When Your Heartstrings Break Beulah 1999 [Sugar Free]
The best straightahead retro-pop record to come out of the Elephant 6 collective by a long shot. The band began in 1996 when Miles Kurosky and Bill Swan met in a San Francisco office mailroom. From such humble lo-fi beginnings this record finds Kurosky out front of a swag of support musicians reeling off a concise set of 11 psych-pop gems.
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A Dream in Sound Elf Power 1999 [Arena Rock]
With leading neo-psych producer Dave Fridmann helping out it is little wonder that this glistens with pop polish. Before realising what a good thing they were onto with the Elephant 6 collective, guitarist/vocalist Andrew Rieger and keyboardist Laura Carter tried their hand in New York. Back in Georgia, other E6 compatriots helped out here.
The Albemarle Sound The Ladybug Transistor 1999 [Merge]
Unlike others in the Elephant 6 collective, Ladybug Transistor resists a reliance on experimentation in favour of a cleaner retro-pop sound. The result is a delightful excursion back to the best 60s baroque pop had to offer, with the album cover art hinting at the Bee Gees 1st and other classic releases of the sub-genre. Another winner out of the E6.
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Circulatory System Circulatory System 2001 [Cloud]
An offshoot of the Elephant 6 collective's Olivia Tremor Control fronted by William Cullen Hart. Overall the feel is more downbeat than the Olivias, with fairly simple melodies put to a psychedelic backdrop typical throughout. The differences, however, are minor. Had this been released as an OTC album it is likely no-one would have noticed.
