In versus In

Radiohead’s In Rainbows vs. Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

What we have here is a battle of masterpieces. One, the largely solo output of an iconoclastic musical genius; the other, a standout work from a group on the shortlist for the “world’s greatest band” badge.

But I find the pairing an apt one in that both of them are real album albums, rather than collections of isolated tracks. The songs flow meaningfully from one to the other. Heck, In Rainbows not only flows on its own, but as Tim noted, it fits into OK Computer like a zipper. Aeroplane is full of interrelated tracks — “King of Carrot Flowers Part One” without Part Two is like a chocolate chip cookie without a glass of milk.

They are both albums that I know and love. They are both albums that I have listened to while laying down on the couch, doing absolutely nothing else but listen. How then can I choose between them?

First, a bit more about Aeroplane. Whatever I decide by the end of writing this about album versus album, those first three tracks on their own are one of my favorite song arcs from any era. Back when space on one’s portable music player was a consideration, I kept only those three tracks from the album on my iPod, and played the hell out of them any time I had an approximately ten-minute window getting from point A to point B.

There are two types of tracks on this album: the “just Jeff Mangum and his guitar” tracks, and the ones with what the band’s wikipedia article refers to as “eclectic instrumentation.” My preference is definitely for the latter. Mangum is a gifted songwriter, but it is the quirky ambiance and the raw drive of the instrumentation that makes for the album’s strong points. Give me “Holland, 1945” over “Oh Comely” any day. In fact the worst things I can think of to say about the album are that the first half kicks the second half’s ass, and that “Oh Comely” is a dud.

And maybe the best thing I can say, at least in this match-up, is that I do have strong opinions about the songs, and which ones are best and worst, and know the order they come in. None of that is really true for me with In Rainbows. Radiohead’s album is a whole, one that I listen to in its entirety or not at all, preferably with headphones. It’s the band’s third best, but perhaps the one most suited for that sort of intense listening. Mangum can sometimes lose me on those acoustic tracks with endless verses, no matter how hard he strums that guitar, but Radiohead can repeat a simple vocal melody or bass riff or piano progression ad infinitum, and with the slow build of the arrangements around it — or sometimes not even build, more of a ululation — make it seem endlessly fresh. Neutral Milk Hotel’s “eclectic instrumentation” calls attention to itself and is rough around the edges, but if you’ve ever seen Jonny Greenwood at a Radiohead live show tinkering with his arcane sound board, you start to appreciate how much wacky shit is going on in those songs that you don’t even realize.

It’s coming down to heart versus head for me. Rainbows is superior technically, but I can remember specific times and places when Aeroplane came on and just hit me like a ton of bricks. In a good way.

A final consideration, perhaps a quibble, but I’m not sure if it should weigh in here or not. This is Music Death Match ’99. Aeroplane was released in 1998. That’s the only reason I didn’t put it in my top ten. The rules lawyer in me wants to punish it for this. And yet, the part of me that wants to give it the win takes comfort in the fact that, if so, Radiohead will still have a strong contender in the tournament with OK Computer. But that was released in 1997 — an even worse offender! Only someone with a crueler heart than mine could jettison both Aeroplane and Computer on a technicality, and so …

… I will make peace with my quibble, and follow my heart. This round goes to In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Make my next choice be less difficult.