This marital match-made in grunge rock heaven: Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry together make up Handsome Furs. Their latest release, Sound Kapital, delivers a set of tracks that differs from whats been known by the fans – adoring the trade mark howls of the lead vocal, layered with grungy guitar strums. This album definitely demonstrates a new course in their talents. Replacing their set of strings with a full dose of synths and electronic keyboards and incorporating a much darker, industrial, electro-pop, more so thats been seen in their past works.
“Damage” ricks and rocks in a haunting chrous echo suggesting that things are breaking down further with time. The dark, destructive air continues to hang over the next track “Bury me standing” and holds till a slight shift in “Memories of the Future” where lyrics are about looking forward to whats to come, “I throw my hands to the sky/ I left my memories go…”.
The rest of the album follows with the message of whats gotten them so riled up – suppression, a bit political, the strip of our able-bodied first amendment, right to speech (See “Serve the people” and “What about us”).
Sound Kapital shows progress and distinction, helping to define the Handsome Furs with husband, Boeckner’s often comparable band, Wolf Parade. Handsome Fur fans may not be thrilled, but for those willing to give this rebellion riling, heavy-duty construction of pop a shot, these tracks are well worth the time, given their message and complexity.
