Sometimes self-indulgence is forgivable. If a brilliant musician releases a single wanky solo album, makes a stupid, self-important comment, or decides to publish a book of incoherent rants, you can let it go. Because all sins are forgiven when you go back to the music-- that's what got you there in the first place, and that's what brings you back. You know, it's like if you buy a puppy because it's cute, it remains cute no matter how often it shits on the couch.

Like most Elephant 6 fans, there are a lot of things I've forgiven over the years. The twee factor. The ham-fisted electronic noodling. The Bill Doss. But as the strength and frequency of Elephant 6 releases has declined, it's become harder to overlook these things. And now, with the release of Major Organ and the Adding Machine, I've officially reached my limit. It's all I can stands, and I can't stands no more.

What makes Major Organ so aggravating? Well, let's start with the circumstances under which this album was released. It's been three years since Jeff Mangum's opus, the undeniably brilliant In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, was released. Rumors of an upcoming album have grown, died down, resurfaced, and been hunted to extinction in a twisted game of cat and mouse. Everybody and their grandma is waiting to see what Mangum will do next. Therefore, it should be made clear that Major Organ is not Neutral Milk Hotel, even though Jeff Mangum does appear on the album. Orange Twin's website gives a well-put, concise explanation of how Major Organ is not Neutral Milk Hotel, but rather Aunt Eggma under the name Major Organ under the name Alfred Snouts! Alfred, you see, is attached to the Major. So it's all good.

The bottom line is, given the mystery and anticipation surrounding Mangum, people are expecting big things. Unfortunately, Major Organ is kind of like anticipating a hurricane and getting farted on instead. Alternating between vaguely interesting and flat-out fucking annoying, Major Organ is a tragically anticlimactic release by a group of immensely talented luminaries of late 90's indie rock.

It's hard to know specifically which luminaries these are, though-- all the information pertaining to Major Organ is appropriately cryptic. Two voices that can easily be picked out on the record, however, are those of Jeff Mangum, and Of Montreal mastermind and short shorts-wearer Kevin Barnes. Not only does that constitute two distinctive, original voices in independent music, but it presents an interesting lyrical prospect-- after all, who wouldn't kill to hear Jeff Mangum wail about "the happy magical adventures of Mr. Chrysanthemum, tearing smiling flesh from a dead baby's ear."

Sadly, we get none of that. Major Organ and the Adding Machine is 19 tracks of only occasionally tolerable sound collage, bearing a much stronger resemblance to the Music Tapes than to Neutral Milk Hotel or Of Montreal. Obnoxious found sounds are coupled with grating vocals, such as a few lines of French repeated ad nauseam on "Un, Deux, Tois," and a frightfully irksome sample of "Congratulations! Thank you!" on "Water Dripping on Bread Makes Bread Not So Tasty." I know you're there, Koster, and you can't hide. I'm coming for you and your little zanzithophone, too.

Once in a great while, Major Organ turns into something moderately listenable. "Your Moonpie Eye" couples strange lo-fi pop and a heavy Of Montreal influence with interludes of what could best be compared to 1920's silent film scores with Mangum singing over them. Interesting stuff, but definitely a far cry from brilliance.

It would be unfair to put down Major Organ simply because my expectations were disproportionately high, though-- especially considering that there are many, many other reasons to put it down. It's just that, once you strip away all the ceremonious, cryptic hoopla surrounding the album, you're left with little more than an aggravating mess. And no amount of man gum can patch that up.

-Matt LeMay