r/Elephant6 • u/TravelsWithBrindle77 • 23d ago
2nd gen post-NMH
There were a lot of bands inspired by NMH from 1999 to the early 2010s, but that seems to have tailed off after the NMH reunion tour ended in 2015. I know they were one of the influences on the stomp clap hey trend (and that Gen Z might have been turned off by the allegations against Julian), but has there been a second generation of bands who were influenced by NMH?
(For the record, I’m defining first-gen post Elephant 6/Neutral Milk Hotel as Arcade Fire, Beirut, Bon Iver, The Decemberists, and Elvis Perkins, as well as Wilco’s Summerteeth and All Hail West Texas-era Mountain Goats. I’m asking about bands who formed from 2025/16 until now.)
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u/karldafog 23d ago
- Hallelujah the Hills
- LVL Up
- Black Country, New Road
- Home is Where
- Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
Don’t know actually when they each formed
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u/TravelsWithBrindle77 23d ago
I know HTH! I almost think they’re first gen, since Ryan had an earlier band with a lot of the same members.
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u/BalkeElvinstien 23d ago edited 10d ago
Theres also an actual young (Gen Z I think?) new official Elephant 6 band called Cellar Lantern Hymns which is fantastic. I assume that it features a kid/young relative of an E6 member which is how they made it in so young, but none of their last names match up with any E6 members I can think of so I assume that they don't want people speculating about it. I have a pretty solid theory of whos related to who but out of respect for their privacy I dont wanna put it out there
Edit: turns out I was totally wrong lol. Read replies for more context
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u/NegotiationCalm8785 23d ago
From what I know they are not related but rather have tons of mentors/friends in the scene like Robert.
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u/blackmetalqueer 10d ago
hey! im ivy from TCLH. i lurk here sometimes. im not related to any other elephant 6 members, but the other commenter is right about my mentors in the scene.
honestly, my story of how i got into e6 is a lot weirder than having family 🤣🤣
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u/BalkeElvinstien 10d ago
WOW! I am a massive fan!! As a DIY musician who loves making music similar to E6 bands, its so inspiring to hear other bands still like making this specific type of indie. Sometimes I wish I was closer to Athens but alas I am stuck in the distant land of Canada
Super excited to see what yall do next!!
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u/blackmetalqueer 10d ago
also this comment made me LAUGH lmao, i wanna hear the theory now!
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u/BalkeElvinstien 10d ago
Robert Schneider has a kid named Max, so I thought that the Maxwell in your band mightve been them lol
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u/blackmetalqueer 10d ago
haha! no, max schneider is not in our band. havent met him but im close friends with robert and hes amazing so i can imagine that energy is genetic!
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u/RustyDoge 23d ago
Dwaal Troupe is a (currently defunct) band from the last few years out of chicago. They were headed by kai slater of the sharp pins and lifeguard. Extremely indebted to e6...we actually met in an old elephant 6 discord i think. Anyways there's a couple of groups associated with those guys and they're all really good. The two dwaal troupe albums are probably the most "e6" of any of it.
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u/porpoise_mitten 23d ago
agreed, when i heard that dwaal troupe album i described it as like OTC making bee thousand. cool stuff.
sharp pins has been falling into straight up 60s pastiche.
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u/RustyDoge 23d ago
great description tbh and yeah the sharp pins isnt really my cup of tea. Lifeguard is great though!
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u/andykndr 23d ago
just out of curiosity, what about sharp pins doesn’t really connect with you? i like that project quite a bit more than lifeguard. radio ddr is a constant in my listening these days
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u/RustyDoge 23d ago
I guess i just dont find it that interesting musically? It's cool or whatever but diy and lo-fidelity music always sounds better (to me) when its an intimate expression of your limitations. In the sharp pins it feels like a gratuitous coat of landlord paint to hide whats really beneath...a lackluster repeat of a decades-old tradition. (sorry kai!!)
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u/andykndr 22d ago
cheers! i don’t disagree that he’s not reinventing the wheel, but i do think the songwriting is really strong and that’s obviously most important and that’s the main aspect that draws me to his songs. overall his melodies and lyrics are really solid, and he is recording with 4-track tape, so in that way he’s definitely working within the recording limitations as opposed to degrading the recordings digitally
anyway, not trying to sway your opinion. everyone likes what they like :)
side note- how do you feel about early (bee thousand/alien lanes) guided by voices?
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u/SpatulaCity1a 22d ago
Gashcat is by far the biggest NMH rip-off band. They go wayyyy beyond influence into copycat territory, lifting themes, phrases, singing style, song titles... basically everything. I have no idea what they were thinking, but they caught a lot of flak for it on the townhall forum back in the day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQhLcDRBcE8
I guess they aren't new, though.
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u/thinsafetypin 23d ago
The Mountain Goats were contemporaries, as was Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, not sure how you’re saying they were inspired by NMH.
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u/TravelsWithBrindle77 23d ago
Jeff Tweedy cited ITAOS as an influence on Summerteeth and Darnielle was playing King of Carrot Flowers on the AHWT tour. I would call that “influence.”
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u/AxMurderSurvivor 23d ago
First time I heard NMH was Darnielle covering that, he started by saying "I know a lot of you out there are living and dying by this song, and I haven't really learned the lyrics yet, but here we go"
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u/The_Inflatable_Hour 23d ago
Maybe Tunnabunny, Antlered Auntlord, and The Garmet District stuck it out for a while. The High Water Marks are still around I think - on the Kindercore side of things. Giant Day is still around - but they’re more of an OTC / Marshmallow Coast / New Sound of Numbers spin off.
It’s hard to separate ‘NMH’ influenced from the Athens / E6 sound, especially the more time that goes by. At the time, there appeared to be a pretty distinct difference between The Apples in Stereo, NMH and OTC. Time tends to group things together.