BIOGRAPHY
Neutral Milk Hotel began as Jeff Mangum's home recording project in Ruston, Louisiana, in the late 1980s, part of the loose Elephant 6 collective formed with childhood friends who circulated homemade cassette tapes. The band's name emerged after Mangum learned of another act called Milk and adopted a suggestion from bandmate Bill Hart. In 1996 Mangum teamed with Robert Schneider to record On Avery Island, then assembled Julian Koster, Jeremy Barnes, and Scott Spillane for 1998's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. The album's critical reputation grew enormously after release, and it is now widely regarded as a landmark of 1990s indie rock. Touring pressures affected Mangum's mental health, leading to a hiatus; the band later reunited in 2013 before pausing again in 2015.