[1] At the time, Neutral Milk Hotel was a solo project of American musician Jeff Mangum, who recorded the album with producer Robert Schneider from February to May 1995.

Neutral Milk Hotel was formed in Ruston, Louisiana, in the late 1980s, as one of the many home recording projects of musician Jeff Mangum.

[2] The simple home recordings Mangum made with his friends Robert Schneider, Bill Doss, and Will Cullen Hart led to the formation of the Elephant 6 musical collective.

[3] After graduating from high school, Mangum moved to Seattle, and released the single "Everything Is" on Cher Doll Records, under the alias Neutral Milk Hotel.

[17] Kurt Wolff of the Houston Chronicle gave the album four out of five stars, and wrote: "Neutral Milk Hotel's debut is a trippy experience, at times downright crowded with noise.

"[18] Mike Goldsmith of NME gave it an 8/10, and said: "Neutral Milk Hotel can convert miserable-as-sin introspection into folky mantras that bore into your skull like a well-aimed power drill.

[21] The On Avery Island tour generated enough money for the band members to afford to move to Athens, Georgia, where a large group of Elephant 6 musicians were living.

[30] The Guardian's Michael Hann felt On Avery Island was the weaker of the two albums, and wrote: "You can hear Mangum groping towards the realisation of his vision on the likes of 'Song Against Sex' or 'A Baby for Pree,' but never quite finding it.

[34] Some journalists have commented that due to the popularity of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, other recordings from Neutral Milk Hotel, such as On Avery Island, are often overlooked.

[36] Track 12 features Marisa Bissinger, Hilarie Sidney, Zachary DeMichele, Dane Terry, Lisa Janssen, Aaron Reedy, and Jeff Mangum performing various Indonesian instruments.