So i've been thinking about this lately, and i've officially decided and declared to my friends that My Favorite Band of All Time is no longer Led Zeppelin. This has nothing whatsoever to do with Zeppie, because I love them, but more to do with my accepting that despite the fact that this band has only ever actually released two (2) albums, I love them. Adore, really, if I'm honest.
Anyhow, the band that will be replacing Zeppelin as My Favorite Band of All Time is: Neutral Milk Hotel.
After many months of bordering-on-obsessive listening, and years before that of semi-obsessive-listening, I've come to realize that I love a lot of bands. Lots. But I love NMH in a compltely different way - that is to say, I fucking love their fucking music more than anything fucking else. If I could, I would have babies with the music. That's right. Little babies made of music. Rawr.
I mean, obviously I will from time to time still say, "The Decemberists are my favorite band." But what I will mean is, "The Decemberists are my favorite band that's making music right now, but not my favorite band of all time, because that position is filled and they're about five down on the list. But I do love them and they are my favorite band of the moment, but I love them in a semi-casual-but-sometimes-also-obsessive-way, as opposed to the cosmic, deeply soulful way in which I love Neutral Milk Hotel."
How much of this is sarcasm, you ask? I can't be exactly sure.
Oh yeah, and PS - I'm an asshole. DCFC was my favorite band for so long and I started to kind of hate them because of their sudden "oh my god i'm on the oc!" bullshit, but I've also realized that I was being an asshole and that I love them, really, just not as much as I used to. But fuck, I'd still drive 8 hours to see em, so whatever.
Anyhow, listen to some music by My Favorite Band of All Time.
(if you listen at the very end of this song, you can hear one of the guys in studio scream, "holy SHIT!" because jeff mangum went in there and played this all at once, just fucking laid it down in one take, and fucking added some horns or whatever later, but seriously, the song is fucking uncut and fucking brilliant and do you see what i mean by "obsessive adoration" now?)
also, i have a ton of bootleg/unreleased NMH shit on my multiply site (that i haven't used in months except for today) that's up for downloading, if you're into that sort of thing. lots of demos and shit.
My Trusted MOGs
My Trusted MOGs
Wow wow thank you for the extra Neutral Milk Hotel downloads!! I only started listening to this band about four months ago, and Jeff Mangum really is amazing. I love the rudimentary guitar with just a bit of horns. I now have to go look at Olivia Tremor Control which people are telling me is good as well.
My Trusted MOGs
Thanks so much for the additional tracks to download!!!
I really love mangum's work, and have to say that it does something funny to me too...
My Trusted MOGs
aaahhhhhhhh, great fucking post man! and great song, one take, really?! exceptionally talented, much love for nmh... and dcfc~
My Trusted MOGs
I can empathize. I consider Tom Waits my favorite musician, but yet I hardly listen to him (although I have obsessively). I now feel I need to break out the music on certain days I just gotta have a fix. So while I hardly listen to him now, he is my favorite, so I hardly listen to him. I feel the same way about NMH, I love them, but I want the to stay fresh, so I only listen when I'm feeling it, when it's not back ground music.
My Trusted MOGs
Great post! I can totally relate to the "Favourite Band of All Time" vs "Favourite Band of At The Moment". I'm gonna have to pay more attention to NMH. I've heard a few songs over the years and always thought, "wow, this is awesome" but then it never went any further than that. This track just reminds me to get on it.
My Trusted MOGs
Thanks for sharing such a great track. With such fucking enthusiasm! I'm going to fucking listen to more of them! lol Thanks again!