Handsome Furs: Face Control (2009)

New Wax


Besides having album art that makes me miss my late pet doberman Blue, who was always smiling even when he somehow managed to get a fishing hook lodged in his testicle (true story), the new album from husband/wife duo Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry, aka Handsome Furs, makes me want to shake my half-Asian ass. And I'm not the dancing type. The married couple with a pension for raunchy publicity photos released their debut album Plague Park in 2007, and while it had its moments, it was an overall disappointment coming from Boeckner, who might be better known for his work in Wolf Parade. It seems that making their union official has strengthened the duo's musical bond as well because Face Control is quite good. It's more electro-centric than Plague Park and Perry's synth lines and drum machine beats meld perfectly with Boeckner's ambiguous one-liners and edgy guitar riffs. Face Control may sound decidedly euro-trash instrumentally, but Boekner's choruses and refrains are as anthemic as 80's-era Springsteen. Standouts like "All We Want, Baby, Is Everything" and "Radio Kaliningrad" are just as strong as anything Boekner has done with Wolf Parade and Face Control is one of those rare albums that only gets better with every listen. -- Capt. Obvious

Listen:
MP3: Handsome Furs - Evangeline
MP3: Handsome Furs - Legal Tender

Tags: Handsome Furs, Face Control, Review