Disclaimer: I've already pre-ordered
Face Control, so downloading the leak is not an act of me ripping off the band, it's just a testament to my impatience. If you haven't pre-ordered a copy for yourself, you can over at InSound (
LP or
Digital LP w/ T-shirt).
So after a few spins, I feel confident enough to report my first impressions of the album
Face Control, the second LP from husband/wife duo
Handsome Furs. The album technically has a release date slated for March 10, 2009 through
Sub Pop Records, but a leak has surfaced on the internet (missing track 10).
Like its predecessor
Plague Park,
Face Control is stripped down rock in its purest form, though it relies heavily on the influences of 1980s electro-pop. Alexie Perry's improved skills on the drum machine are very apparent in this second attempt. She alone makes up the rythm section on every song, utilizing dark and menacing hooks and a vast array of percussion sounds. Her mastery as a musician shines through on this album, with more textures and composition than any of her previous work. Meanwhile, Dan Boeckner (also of
Wolf Parade and
Atlas Strategic) provides the pipes and jams for this record, creating eerie, fuzzed-out riffs reminiscent of the Eastern Russian block - suffice to say, his contribution is as solid as ever. And with a great follow-up to their amazing debut, Handsome Furs have affirmed themselves as truly and simply a great band, period. To label Handsome Furs as merely a "Boeckner side project" is not only a slap in the face to Perry's contributions, it also a gross generalization of this separate and entirely original entity.
Face Control immediately hits the ground running, opening with the a Euro-dance bopper "Legal Tender". The momentum is carried through on the album's second track, "Evangeline" - this song kicks so much ass. I'd heard it performed live twice, but the studio version really sounds great. To be honest, there really isn't a weak track on this album. The strongest tracks, in my opinion, would have to be the afformentioned "Evangeline", "Officer of Hearts", "Thy Will Be Done", and "Radio Kaliningrad".
All in all, this album is much more a rock album compared to
Plague Park, and it's also more uplifting. I'm not necessarily saying that
Plague Park was a downer, but after hearing songs like "Radio Kaliningrad" and "All We Want Baby, Is Everything",
Face Control definitely leaves the listener with a positive feeling. The Furs are also experimenting with new sounds on this album - "Officer of Hearts" features the bongo drum, and "Radio Kaliningrad" showcases some synthesized bag pipes (which sound a lot like Church's "Under the Milky Way Tonight"). The end result is one great sophomore effort. Pick up a copy on March 10 when this album drops.
To hear a sample track from the upcoming album, head over to their
MySpace page and listen to the first single "I'm Confused" (it's also attached to this post). If you're in the Midwest or Europe, check out their live show at a venue near you.
Disclaimer: I've already pre-ordered Face Control, so downloading the leak is not an act of me ripping off the band, it's just a testament to my impatience. If you haven't pre-ordered a copy for yourself, you can over at InSound (LP or Digital LP w/ T-shirt).
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