Music or Meme?

When does music become a meme? When music becomes a meme--in other words, a virally repeated piece of internet humor--does it lose anything? Gain anything? Does the kind of cult status Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea help the album or hurt it?

In a way, I guess any publicity is good publicity, and I'm not insisting this album should be more obscure. I think this release deserves the acclaim its received. However, isn't a bit of the beauty of this album destroyed when aspects of it are cut out and repeated as if they're nothing more than another catch phrase of the moment? At this point, what's the difference between "forever alone" and "IIIIIIII LOOOOOOOVE YOUUUUUU JESUSSSS CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIST!!!"? In my opinion, not much.

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