Neutral Milk Hotel is an American indie rock band. They started in Ruston, Louisiana in 1989. They were formed by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jeff Mangum. He was the only member at first. Then Robert Schneider joined the band for its first album, On Avery Island. It was released on Merge Records. After On Avery Island was released, Julian Koster, Scott Spillane and Jeremy Barnes joined the band. They then released an album called In the Aeroplane Over the Sea in 1998. Pitchfork scored their second album 10/10 when it was released again in 2005. In 2009, Amazon.com's editors put In the Aeroplane Over the Sea at number two on their list of "The 100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums of All Time".On December 11, 2011, the band released their first release since 1998. It was an EP called Ferris Wheel on Fire.