Now this record made it all the way to number 3 on The Wire’s best of 2008. From the reviews I read this was the record I was most excited to hear of those I missed last year. My bubble was burst when I found out it was vinyl only and was pretty tricky to track down. So after resigning myself to never hearing this someone had the good sense to releases it on CD this year. Fucking yay is all I’ve got to say on the subject because this album is terrific. Now it still appears to be self released by the band and I hazard a guess that it won’t stay in print long so, you know, act quick if this has any appeal for you.
Hospitals have released a couple of previous records that I’ve never heard but I had heard of the band in the same breath as many other noise-rock bands but they’d never registered enough for me to actually track down their stuff. What Hospitals do on this record is produce a no-fi variation on noise/rock/pop/psychedelic stoner rock overlayed with a blanket of fuzz. Think No Age crossed with Mouthus if you like although way more Mouthusy. In fact Hairdryer Peace is all over the place in terms of reference points and genres. Yet in saying that there is no doubt that this is noise-rock at its best. Its a record that rewards repeated listens and I can’t wait for their next one.
Ducks Battle Satan 