by Michael Hartt.
To be honest, I really had no idea what to make of this album after the first listen. This was mostly to do with the stagnated way in which I heard it; in between doing work and taking phone calls. If you’re reviewing an album and trying to form an opinion of it, you really must give it your full attention and listen to it on headphones.
Lesson learnt, I put all of these rules into practice for the second listen to this, The Antlers’ second album.
Hospice is a concept album. I know, the term has been overused for years by bands trying to be taken seriously as “real artists, man” by stringing their tunes together as some highfalutin piece. But scout’s honour, dear reader, Hospice is a real concept album with a real story and a real narrative that flows throughout. The album plays out with all the cinematic qualities of a small indie film.
Hospice tells the story of a man losing a loved one to bone cancer. It’s told in first and second person narrative as all involved come to terms with the seriousness of the condition and the realisation that the situation becomes an unwinnable battle until, ultimately, she loses her fight. It’s heavy stuff for sure and the musical landscape does much to emphasis the emotion of the story.
In some ways, this album reminds me of Spiritualized’s Songs In A&E, inasmuch as they both capture the sterile, surreal and isolated environment of medical facilities perfectly. Both albums also bare an undercurrent of electronic bleebs similar to those of life support machines. The main difference between the two, however is that Jason Pierce managed to survive, whereas the patient in Hospice doesn’t. I must admit that I did feel quite sad when I realised that this happened. It’s an album you get quite caught up in.
Some have rated this album as a contender for album of the year. It’s pretty hard to argue with them. It’s an album that works. I still don’t know much about The Antlers or why they recorded this album and I don’t think I want to. This album is enough for me.
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