As we pass saturation point for press coverage of Montreal, Portland, Brooklyn and et cetera, it seems Lawrence, Kansas is poised for its coming turn in the music media trend piece carousel. At least from what we’re hearing; this marks two straight BTWs from the burgeoning midwestern artistic oasis. We gave the treatment to Rooftop Vigilantes after they hit our inbox with some music, and that inspired another email, this time from one Jordan Geiger, offering a MySpace-linked primer to more of the city’s rising talent. But it was Jordan’s own project, Hospital Ships, that struck deepest. Jordan comes packing a sturdy CV — singing and songwriting in Minus Story, playing trumpet and keyboard for Shearwater — and the Hospital Ships material shows it.
Minus Story earn often comparisons to the Lips, so it makes sense to hear some Coyne in standout track “I Want It To Get Out,” framed here for a bedsit rather than a large scale studio, more along the lines of Flotation Toy Warning‘s huddled intimacy than Yoshimi‘s control booth imaginings. The track talks of existential yearnings, restless prayers for something bigger and something more, and for that Hospital Ships’ fuzzed vocals and lo-fi psychedelics are a nice fit.
Oh, Ramona is out 10/21 via Graveface. Hear more Hospital Ships at MySpace, and for more of Jordan’s writing in action check some Minus Story MP3s here. There’s no Hospital Ships tour lined up because the project’s just been pulled together, but those in Chicago can check him at the Graveface Records Halloween Showcase on 10/24 in Chicago.
Lawrence, we’re enjoying your emails. Keep sending.
You Might Also Like
 Shearwater – “Breaking The Yearlings” Video |  Album Of The Week: Shearwater Animal Joy |  Stream Shearwater Animal Joy |  Shearwater – “You As You Were” |
 |
 |
Oh my, that is good. Thanks for introducing me to Hospital Ships!
very nice stuff. thanks for the heads-up on yet another cool KS band.
check out DRI for yet another lawrence, ks gem.
http://www.myspace.com/drismokerings
Being a real mid-westerner, AKA a Michigander, I don’t consider Kansas to be a mid-western state. To me the only proper mid-western state touch the Great lakes and are mostly in the eastern time zone. I bet they even say soda in Kansas.
For shame! You are clearly from the Great Lakes, not the Midwest. No state that touches the Great Lakes is in the Midwest (other than Indiana, which sucks).
i am from kansas, say pop and love dri. we are midwest.
it’s pretty much the same shit hundreds of bands release every month. nothing special here, sorry.
As a denizen of Lawrence, KS, I’d say check out: Ad Astra Per Aspera, Boo and Boo Too, Ghosty, The JenSayKwahs and Fourth of July.
What a pleasant surprise. I can’t tell you how fed up I am with this wave of nouveau bubble gum indie pop. I really like that odd horn/pump organ/syth sound.
Michigan is about as Midwestern as it gets (and while that is not something to be especially proud of, it is not however, something to be too ashamed of i think) but i say we let Kansas in the club. no one deserves to be banished to the dreaded “bible belt” (shudder).
Hospital Ships is wonderful! and Minus Story is the best, best, best! what are they up to these days? i miss them…
Go Lawrence!
don’t forget the noise fm!
I vote for Blood on the Wall and Suzannah Johannes!
Lawrence has an amazing amount of talented bands, the following play some of the best shows I see from any band –
Blood on the Wall, Coat Party, Ad Astra Per Aspera, Spook Lights, Susannah Johannes, Fourth of July, Mammoth Life, Kinetiks, Hairy Belafontes, Baby Birds Dont Drink Milk, Boo & Boo Too, Thunderous Olympian and the list goes on.
These are all top notch. Check em out.
You can’t be in the Eastern time zone and be in the Midwest at the same time, dude.
ad astra per aspera is an amazing band (sonic unyon), dri, fourth of july, ghosty and let’s not forget white whale which features former members of butterglory, the get up kids and coalesce as well as a current member of spoon.
THE LEE BABY SIMS SHOW is another Lawrence band with a great Delta blues, southern Gothic, Nick Cave sound. Try Riverside or Slaughterhouse Blues. They have a new album coming out in a few weeks called 13 Paces. http://www.leebabymusic.com/index.cfm
this wouldn’t be so bad if he tuned up the synth it ruins the track for me otherwise well done