Hospital Ships is the creative outlet for musician Jordan Geiger, a Lawrence, Kansas native with an impressive resume. He’s done time in bands such as The Appleseed Cast, Shearwater, and Minus Story. Geiger’s tenor and affinity for well-adorned fuzz-pop richness recalls a certain other band from the Midwest, The Flaming Lips. The difference is that Geiger’s output doesn’t rival the ecstatic bombast of the Lips. His more minimalistic tracks are some of the most affecting on his new album Lonely Ships. The pared-down acoustic finger-picking and subtle nuance of “Phantom Limb” provide a fitting backdrop for Geiger’s disarming falsetto. Elsewhere, the steady folk waltz of “Carry On” builds swimmingly into an all-out fuzz jam. Lyrically, Lonely Ships breeds a constant undertone of disposition, with Geiger often musing on the struggle to fit in, both in life and in love. Fans of lushly arranged fare that still boasts a lo-fi veneer will find much to like here. — Capt. Obvious

Listen:

Love Or Death.mp3

Reprise.mp3