Abruptly going on indefinite hiatus just when their masterpiece In the Aeroplane Over The Sea was gaining some success in the late nineties, the only thing we've heard from Neutral Milk Hotel in the intervening years are some occasional, low key solo performances from leader Jeff Mangum.
Until this week it was pretty much all you could hope for. So it is truly remarkable news that this band, whose incredible influence can be heard across the albums of Beirut, Arcade Fire and The Decemberists, has reformed for a worldwide(ish) tour.
And the fact that of the handful of already announced dates, shows Japan and Taiwan at the end of year strongly suggests appearances in Australia and New Zealand. (I reason: why go all the way to Japan if you're not going to come to Australia?).
Perfect timing (and style) for an appearance at Meredith Festival perhaps, and hopefully a slew of proper sideshows throughout the county. Fingers crossed.
If you haven't heard them before, you can download / stream a couple of tracks below. But really, nothing compares to spending some quality time immersed in one of their full length, visceral albums. Context is everything.
Right click to download: Holland, 1945
Stream the title track from In the Aeroplane Over The Sea:
