Twelve years ago, a relatively obscure band out of Athens, GA released an album that would come to be regarded as one of the most original, wildly imaginative and beautiful works in generations. Filled with boldly unusual instrumentation, intelligently obscure lyrics and impassioned singing, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea won Neutral Milk Hotel an ever-growing, fiercely devoted following. Much to the dismay of the many who hold this album dear, the chances to see these songs performed live were cut short as band promptly disbanded the very same year In the Aeroplane Over the Sea was released. Fast forward to the present and things are roughly the same as they have been since 1998 except for one small, but musically interesting change. Fans now have the chance to hear NMH's masterpiece played live and in it's entirety. But rather than hearing the lyrics sung by the man who wrote them and made them famous, fans will be serenaded by a ukulele playing devotee. Though some decry this project, known as Neutral Uke Hotel, as nothing more than cleverly executed exploitation, we recommend the show as the cause of "uniting fans" around a great album is a worthy one. The night will no doubt become singalong-filled good time led by some masters of the craft. Take a listen to Shawn Fogel's take on a Jeff Magnum classic below and head over to the Sunset tonight for the in-person experience. Sunset Tavern // 5433 Ballard Avenue Northwest // 9 p.m. // $7 more ›

If the words Neutral Milk Hotel and free don’t relieve any autumnal sorrows you might be feeling, we’re afraid we probably won’t be able to help you. more ›

Last night at Neumo's, the 4th annual KEXP Yule Benefit was chockablock with music. We missed out on local band The Hands and showed up mid-set for Annuals, for whom we saw enough of their Arcade Fire-meets-Neutral Milk Hotel-meets Animal Collective sound to know that we need to see them in their entirety whenever they come to town again. more ›

The Decemberists played the Paramount Friday night and it was packed all the way up to the nosebleed section. A friend of ours warned us not to go as he feared they would be playing too much from the new album, The Crane Wife, which he hated and which we are sorry to say we've been too busy lately to have even heard about. We loved their earlier work--elaborate, sad, heavily orchestrated--which seemed to put them in the same pantheon as Neutral Milk Hotel, Sufjan Stevens, and Arcade Fire. more ›

Carlos Rodela doesn't hold much stock with the Seattle music scene, either its cloistered, big-fish-in-a-small-pond pretensions or with its rock star showmanship. more ›

Another day, another great show (sigh). For the past two weeks, Seattlest has been seeing live music like crazy, and we've got four more shows on our radar until this current spate is through. Yesterday was the sold-out set at the Crocodile for current Pitchfork darlings Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. We deemed ourselves to be extremely lucky earlier this week when we picked up the *very last* ticket in town. However, the luck was spread around last night, as the Croc ended up selling a few more tickets at the door. Good thing, since about a dozen people (including our companion for the evening) were standing around outside the venue, hoping for a miracle. It just goes to show, kids: Perseverance pays off. more ›