Rating: NN
Unresolved tension between rock ‘n’ roll and noise made the Hospitals’ In the Red debut a captivating if daunting listen. Their follow-up settles the aesthetic bout (noise wins) and is less compelling because of it. Their debut had menace, but with Jocks And Jazz the Hospitals lose their outré cachet to become just another subpar noise band. Plus, they use noise as an excuse for half-formed ideas, which doesn’t help matters.
