Handsome Furs : Face Control :: Review

Handsome Furs are a spooked band, weary of the casual interlacing of technology into our daily lives.  Throughout the album, singer and guitarist Dan Boeckner and wife Alexei Perry complement this notion with jagged guitars meshed next to cold electronics.  Boeckner’s vocals provide another juxtaposition to the icy tones as if he were rescued from some juke-joint hellhole before time warping to the 21st century.

‘Face Control’ is an album that successfully fuses the blues, rockabilly, bar boogie rock and some psychedelic tones to prehistoric synths.  On ‘Face Control’ Handsome Furs come across like a half-breed of Hank Williams Sr. and Kraftwerk.  Opener “Legal Tender” kicks ‘Face Control’ off with a glitchy twitch of a beat before segueing into a distorted carnival ride of a song.  “Evangeline” might be a contender for best skronk blues of the year, Tom Waits would be proud.  With its stop-start rhythms and guitar squall, “I’m Confused” wouldn’t be out of a place on a certain early 80’s Nicholas Cage film.

Handsome Furs’ use of melody is reminiscent of Devo and New Order and may draw comparisons on “Officer Of Hearts” and  “Thy Will Be Done.” “Radio Kaliningrad” is an excellent closer with its staticky textures and dog-eared vocals.  ‘Face Control’ is a stunning achievement for Handsome Furs and is an early contender for the best of lists.

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This post was submitted by greg.