Handsome Furs: Sound Kapital

Handsome Furs
Sound Kapital
Sub Pop Records [2011]









Fire Note Says: Handsome Furs release their most energized and excellent LP yet with Sound Kapital!

Album Review:
The married duo of Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry are back with Handsome Furs third LP, Sound Kapital, and it represents their best work to date. With Wolf Parade now officially defunct, Boeckner now can turn his complete focus to Handsome Furs and Sound Kapital is its beneficiary. The record not only highlights Perry's keyboards but was exclusively written on them. This is a shift from Boeckner's guitar work but don't mistake Sound Kapital as a fun electro-pop record because it is much more electro-rock, as everything here hits with attitude and a knock out punch. Each beating rhythm and pulsing synth have a warm and embracing quality to them which is impressive considering this is a genre that can typically feel distant and cold. Most of this can be credited to the songwriting here and controlled panic in Boeckner's voice. On "Damage" he puts in 110% and sounds like each breath might be his last. Mixed in with the keyboards intensity the song is instantly memborable. This stylistic vocal delivery repeats itself throughout Sound Kapital and offers plenty of tracks with an edge that you can still tap your foot along with. This energy carries over the record's 40 minute play time and right down to the excellent seven minute closer "No Feelings", Handsome Furs continue to challenge themselves as mid track features a crazy amount of feedback before Boeckner takes back over to wrap things up. This song is just another reminder of how talented Boeckner is and if Handsome Furs keeps releasing albums like Sound Kapital, this once side project may reach well beyond the ceiling that Wolf Parade hit.

Key Tracks: "Damage", "What About Us", "No Feelings"

Bands With Similar Fire:
Arcade Fire
Depeche Mode
White Rabbits

Handsome Furs: Face Control [Fire Note Review 3/10/09]

Handsome Furs Website
Handsome Furs Facebook
Sub Pop Records

-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony