Behind all the experimental detours and garnish, Neutral Milk Hotel’s songs display great traditional songwriting at their core, akin to the work of later-career Beatles and Beach Boys. Lovely vocals move through the emotionally evocative melodies of their songs with a memorable grace. As you listen to their songs, you’ll find yourself hard-pressed to name a Western instrument not represented in their elaborate, lo-fi orchestrations. Among the endless list of noise makers are trap kit, singing saw, accordion, flugelhorn, and various electronics, resulting in a chaotic “everybody come to our house and jam” sound underpinned with meticulous song construction. These disparate sounds resound as if emanating from a basement’s wood-panelled walls and soiled shag carpet, or a converted barn-studio. The sound may be a far cry from gleaming Los Angeleno production, but to polish away Neutral Milk Hotel’s oxidized patina would be to erase their immediacy and simple, rustic beauty.