Handsome Furs -Face Control
10 March 09
Sub Pop Records
Review by Rachel Coppenhaver

Handsome Furs' husband and wife team Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade) and writer Alexei Perry release their second album Face Control this month. Inspired by observations they made while touring Eastern Europe, the album's name comes from the term used to describe club bouncers denying entrance to patrons based solely on appearance. The album explores the idea of our lives being under complete control; perhaps not the militaristic control of old Eastern Europe, but certainly through the continuous stream of technology that simultaneously frees and traps us.

Face Control expertly showcases Perry's driving electronic beats and Boeckner's slightly wailing vocals, interspersed with several instrumental tracks (look for the titles in parenthesis'). "Legal Tender" does a wonderful job opening the album that feels like it effortlessly belongs together while never sounding like it is simply twelve different versions of the same song. The track "Talking Hotel Arbat Blues" emphasizes the themes of the album with lyrics such as "Standing in the center of the occupation" and "Never gonna get past Face Control" while providing a driving beat.

"I'm Confused" is one of the best on the album. Just to try stop yourself from constantly re-playing it in your head. Not all of the tracks are instantly memorable, but the album is a good listen. They may not have given us everything we wanted, but what they gave us is good.

The Handsome Furs can be found on tour throughout the US and Western Europe as well as at SXSW. Tour dates can be found on Myspace. www.myspace.com/handsomefurs

Check out their official site: http://www.handsomefurs.com/