Indentions in the Sheets

lots of talk on the internets about the fact that In The Aeroplane Over the Sea is celebrating it's 10th anniversary. after reading the 3rd blog post about it, i had to hear the record. most records you've heard as often as i've heard Aeroplane don't need to be played again as you kind of have all the information in your brain already, and if you do hear those records you enjoy them but the impact they once had may be muted by repetition or age or lots of things that are different since when you first loved the record. this record doesn't lose its impact with me. someone gave me a cassette of the record when superchunk was on tour -- i can't figure out where we would have crossed paths with anyone in the band when we were on tour unless it was Athens (we didn't tour WITH Neutral Milk Hotel until after the album was out) but for some reason i picture putting the unmarked cassette into our van's player somewhere dusty and sunny -- in TX or the Midwest... Lawrence? we played in Denver once when they were working on it nearby with Robert Schneider but i think Jeff couldn't get away from the studio that time. i don't know. but i know it kind of freaked me out the first time i heard it. some very raw and emotional things happening lyrically. i think by the time "I love you jesus christ" came calling Jim and Jon were verbally ridiculing Laura and I for our A&R tastes. as much as i loved On Avery Island, this record was much heavier on first listen and still is. it would be a classic even if it ended after track 6 ("Holland 1945") but it keeps growing after that and really sounds like nothing else.