Jeff Mangum has teased us with solo shows for long enough. Neutral Milk Hotel are actually, no-bullshit reuniting and heading out on tour in 2013-- 15 years after their last shows together. Only a handful have been announced so far, but apparently there is "more to come," according to the NMH website. Dates below.
Update: We have confirmed that this touring lineup will consist of Mangum, Scott Spillane, Julian Koster, and Jeremy Barnes, the lineup that came together following the release of On Avery Island in 1996.
Following the release of 1998's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and its subsequent support tour, Neutral Milk Hotel went on hiatus. Aside from a 2001 live album, a 2002 album of Bulgarian music, and a handful of live appearances, Jeff Mangum became indie rock's resident recluse for over a decade.
After playing a couple shows in 2010, Mangum fully resurfaced in 2011 and 2012 with several solo tours, a set for Occupy Wall Street, festival appearances, and a Neutral Milk Hotel box set.
A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the charity Children of the Blue Sky.
The tour announcement was accompanied by this crazy note on the NMH website:
and of water course womb rume is a wandering the welkin woman whose fune caul is all umbilical cord code that comes equipped with read volve vît curtains that čun seel my văl én tich radio reason in remembrance of mademoiselle gabrielle and her wone tym pad lock of burd language as it borders on twin tolk the wolk king wall of woolpack pigeons pointing to the fly blind readers riddle and his rian boh
Check out archival live video of Neutral Milk Hotel below the dates. Get excited.
Neutral Milk Hotel:
10-22 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club *
10-23 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club #
10-25 Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium #!
11-28 Taipei, Taiwan - Hostess Club Taipei
12-01 Tokyo, Japan - Hostess Club Weekender

* with Elf Power
# with Half Japanese
! with Daniel Johnston

Is that bit of gibberish at the end code for something?

Look after the club listing on the tour dates - that indicates who is opening for them. (I didn't write the story though, just quoted it verbatim)

and of water course womb rume is a wandering the welkin woman whose fune caul is all umbilical cord code that comes equipped with read volve vît curtains that čun seel my văl én tich radio reason in remembrance of mademoiselle gabrielle and her wone tym pad lock of burd language as it borders on twin tolk the wolk king wall of woolpack pigeons pointing to the fly blind readers riddle and his rian boh

am hoping to see the full band in Asheville at Mountain Oasis.

this

Ok so you see it too? Was starting to think this was like some Fight Club shit where only I could see Tyler Durden.

man, my fiance freaked out when we saw him in portland ME a couple of months ago and actually went up to one of the security guys and asked them if they'd ask jeff if she could have his sweater. they went off and maybe they asked him, maybe they didn't but i was just standing behind her the whole time like "should i be filming this crazy person"?

okay obner meet up in asheville is what this sounds like