Has anyone ever noticed that The Decemberists "Crane Wife" and Neutral Milk Hotel's "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" are very similar albums?



Not only the cover art (similarily old-time drawings), the concepts (both tragic stories made into albums) and the general song structure (opens with upbeat acoustic song, followed by instrumental song with a little more diverse instruments and a long 10-minute ballad thrown in the middle) but even the tunes are written the same way. Both bands wield their acoustic guitars religiously while throwing in a trumpet or piano here and there. The lyrics are both lamentable but moving and profound. Don't mistake this as me bashing them, because I think they're both great albums, but maybe the decemberists should try to mix it up a bit next time.