What sets Montreal's Handsome Furs apart from Wolf Parade, the band for which frontman Dan Boeckner is probably best known, is tempo. Where Wolf Parade dips into more than their fair share of upbeat, even disco beat-driven, indie rock, Handsome Furs instead pull back and strip down their songs. They're upright, elegant, and above all melancholy, swinging between sparse, mechanical blips and lush, throbbing walls of sound. The change of pace really fits Boeckner to a 'T,' if only because his vocal range is given a lot of room to spread out. It turns out Boeckner sounds a lot like Jeff Buckley, and that's not a bad thing; Shearwater also comes to mind, as much for the vocals as for the epic nature of this project, as well as Land of Talk, another Montreal band that concerns itself with making gorgeous, somber indie rock. But while Handsome Furs are as cerebral as these artists, they never get bogged down in pathos; they're fierce, and fiercely intelligent, and they want to hold your attention. For a song about a depressing small town in the middle of nowhere, "Dead + Rural" sounds practically exultant; it's Bob Seger meets Echo & the Bunnymen, all world-weary keyboards and triumphant guitars. This album concerns itself very seriously with the notion of "home" (leaving it, searching for it, and perhaps never finding it), but it's far from dreary; Plague Park is ultimately an uplifting work.
Sometimes real life gets in the way of your passion.Thats been the case with me for the last month or so, busy at work,busy at home,nicer weather so you want to go out more, your team making the Stanley Cup finals,etc.Most of that has been taken care of now and I've been trying to think of something to post. The nice folks at Outside records proved to be my inspiration as they were kind enough ...
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I've been getting lost in this circle of music by Spencer Krug and Dan Borckner (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, Frog Eyes, and of course Handsome Furs). I just got the album Plague Park a couple days ago and it has been in my car for a while now.I like the distortion on the guitar parts and the old school drum machines. All the songs are relatively simple but there's just something abo...
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I've been really enjoying Plague Park the first full-length from Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade) and his friend Alexei Perry, out now on SubPop. Here's what I wrote for Philadelphia Weekly last week:Fri., May 25, 9pm. $14. With Sam Jayne + Creeping Weeds. Khyber, 56 S. Second St. 215.238.5888. www.thekhyber.com Yes, it’s yet another Wolf Parade offshoot, this one the brain child of guitarist Dan.
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If you're not paying close attention you'd assume that Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner are the same person. If they were two guys in totally different bands that weren't from Canada then you'd never suspect that they might be sharing the same throat. But put them both together in Wolf Parade and they sound exactly the same. The same warbled, yelping cries, the same manic, half-drunk shivers come fro
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Okay, here's my take on Handsome Furs.firstly, Dan is an excellent musician and I love his work in Wolf Parade. That being said, I do think Spencer is a little more talented. I was fortunate enough to catch Sunset Rubdown and I must say they are a fantastic band. Anyfuck, Plague Park, if nothing else, is a fun and entertaining album. It seems to be very simple, just a drum machine, some keys, ...
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the handsome furs know what's going on. the project of wolf parade's dan boeckner. it is ethereal and sweeping. the first track posted on their (brand) newly created myspace showcases boeckner's ability to put 5 different songs into one with seamless progression. the demo i was sent shows a much more melancholy sound, almost like what the shins would be if they drifted away from their pop perfe
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I had to stop what I was doing and share a Handsome Furs tune with you. Handsome Furs is the side project of Wolf Parade’s Dan Boeckner and his fiancé. And after one listen I am loving it...my MOGtiply friends can check out the entire disc on my multi page...peaceb
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i really shouldnt be mogging right now. i have a hundred things i have to do by tomorrow/ whatev!i gave a presentation on noise pollution last week and i, how do you say? NAILED IT! but i also learned a lot, and decided that i should probably start bringing ear plugs to the next live show i go to...did you know...1) when you are exposed to noise 130-140 decibels, you normally feel pain (they ca...
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Handsome Furs is the side project of Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner and his wife Alexei Perry.
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If you're not paying close attention you'd assume that Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner are the same person. If they were two guys in totally different bands that weren't from Canada then you'd never suspect that they might be sharing the same throat. But put them both together in Wolf Parade and they sound exactly the same. The same warbled, yelping cries, the same manic, half-drunk shivers come fro
More >
I've been really enjoying Plague Park the first full-length from Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade) and his friend Alexei Perry, out now on SubPop. Here's what I wrote for Philadelphia Weekly last week:Fri., May 25, 9pm. $14. With Sam Jayne + Creeping Weeds. Khyber, 56 S. Second St. 215.238.5888. www.thekhyber.com Yes, it’s yet another Wolf Parade offshoot, this one the brain child of guitarist Dan.
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Here's a song, "What We Had," from the new Handsome Furs' album, Plague Park.
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Sometimes real life gets in the way of your passion.Thats been the case with me for the last month or so, busy at work,busy at home,nicer weather so you want to go out more, your team making the Stanley Cup finals,etc.Most of that has been taken care of now and I've been trying to think of something to post. The nice folks at Outside records proved to be my inspiration as they were kind enough ...
More >
the handsome furs know what's going on. the project of wolf parade's dan boeckner. it is ethereal and sweeping. the first track posted on their (brand) newly created myspace showcases boeckner's ability to put 5 different songs into one with seamless progression. the demo i was sent shows a much more melancholy sound, almost like what the shins would be if they drifted away from their pop perfe
More >
I remember Wolf Parade, I really dug Apologies to the Queen Mary back when it first came out. But I never obsessed over it. Until now that it. Come to find out Spencer Krug is responsible for some other awesome bands such as Frog Eyes, Swan Lake, and Sunset Rubdown. Guy's pretty good, no? Seems like he also has some friends in Arcade Fire, so I'd say he's doing pretty well for himself. And now ...
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Okay, here's my take on Handsome Furs.firstly, Dan is an excellent musician and I love his work in Wolf Parade. That being said, I do think Spencer is a little more talented. I was fortunate enough to catch Sunset Rubdown and I must say they are a fantastic band. Anyfuck, Plague Park, if nothing else, is a fun and entertaining album. It seems to be very simple, just a drum machine, some keys, ...
More >
I've been getting lost in this circle of music by Spencer Krug and Dan Borckner (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, Frog Eyes, and of course Handsome Furs). I just got the album Plague Park a couple days ago and it has been in my car for a while now.I like the distortion on the guitar parts and the old school drum machines. All the songs are relatively simple but there's just something abo...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 What We Had |
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| 2 Hearts of Iron |
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| 3 Handsome Furs Hate This City |
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| 4 Snakes on the Ladder |
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| 5 Can Not Get Started |
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| 6 Sing! Captain |
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| 7 Dead + Rural |
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| 8 Dumb Animals |
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| 9 In the Radio's Hot Sun |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Plague Park")
