One of the most hated tracks from the album is perhaps my favorite for reasons I can't quite put into words. I think it's because of how simple, raw, and plain it caps off the whole story. After almost an hour is twinkling distorted guitars, marching drums, and lo-fi whispering vocals, hearing such a clear straight acoustic track just feels... safe? It's a cathartic ending to a stressful story. A return to "normal."
Hospice has been one of my favorite albums of all time since I first heard it in 2012 and every now and again I find myself going back to it and crying my fucking eyes out.
True. That's one of the only albums I've refused to relisten to, especially as someone who grew up on Phil's music. A Crow just sounds like pure, unromanticized, unreconciled, death.