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The Handsome Family
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Listening now: guitargeek
alt-country, americana, country, folk, indie… see all
The Handsome Family are an alternative-country duo from the United States, the couple Brett and Rennie Sparks who live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Brett writes the music while Rennie, who also is an author, writes the lyrics. Typical for the lyrics is a close connection to the literary genre American Gothic, and Gothic elements found in early country and folk songs.
Their seventh CD, Last Days of Wonder (June. 2006) was one of Mojo’s top ten American Albums for 2006 and called “an unqualified triumph” by Uncut. Of their sixth CD, Singing Bones, The UK’s Independent wrote, “Rarely, even in the fatalistic world of country music, has the precarious mystery of mortality been captured with such poetic grace as on Singing Bones.”
They have appeared in the movie, I’m Your Man (2005), a tribute to Leonard Cohen as well as Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (2004). In 2004, a reader’s poll in Mojo named The Handsome Family’s third CD, Through the Trees one of the ten essential Americana records.
Last Days of Wonder is a collection of love songs sung in airports, garbage dumps, drive-thru windows and shark-infested waters. The CD celebrates the little miraculous moments of beauty found in everyday life: a golf course shining in the rain, hanging lights bouncing in the breeze, pigeons singing from billboards, trees blooming in squares of dirt.
Their seventh CD, Last Days of Wonder (June. 2006) was one of Mojo’s top ten American Albums for 2006 and called “an unqualified triumph” by Uncut. Of their sixth CD, Singing Bones, The UK’s Independent wrote, “Rarely, even in the fatalistic world of country music, has the precarious mystery of mortality been captured with such poetic grace as on Singing Bones.”
They have appeared in the movie, I’m Your Man (2005), a tribute to Leonard Cohen as well as Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (2004). In 2004, a reader’s poll in Mojo named The Handsome Family’s third CD, Through the Trees one of the ten essential Americana records.
Last Days of Wonder is a collection of love songs sung in airports, garbage dumps, drive-thru windows and shark-infested waters. The CD celebrates the little miraculous moments of beauty found in everyday life: a golf course shining in the rain, hanging lights bouncing in the breeze, pigeons singing from billboards, trees blooming in squares of dirt.
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See moreVideos
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Play
The Handsome Family - Giant Of Illinois
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Play
The Handsome Family - Weightless Again
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Play
the handsome family - my sister's tiny hands
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Famous Blue Raincoat
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Top Albums
Shoutbox
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palanwen wrote:
i'm falling in love with these guys the same way i really enjoy the magnetic fields.. this is great stuff.
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entertheinferno wrote:
Saw them last weekend at a festival. They were very disappointingly gloomy and sadistic. They angered the gods so that lightning struck 50 feet from the stage. Thunder crashed deafeningly above us and then rain poured down harder than it had in years. True story.
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fcs10 wrote:
http://www.last.fm/group/Bring+back+the+old+Last.fm
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balaftuna wrote:
yee ha! Saw them in Galway, Awesome! Great sound, and so funny!
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Younghappy wrote:
I can see why Andrew Bird chooses to cover so many of their tunes.
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siickk wrote:
can't believe I missed them when they were playing here WHY LORD WHY
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_meandthemajor wrote:
SONG OF 100 TOADS !!
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soniqueyouth wrote:
daverede - you forgot to mention that this is only your opinion. and you might have added the disclaimer that you are a twat. cheers.
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thedeadpools wrote:
they have another live album out... it is exclusively on emusic.com... it is their live show from The Casbah on 01-23-2004... really good show... funny banter as always... i love their live shows because of the funny dialog between songs...
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thedeadpools wrote:
milk and scissors is my fave album by them... i love the album art too...
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_meandthemajor wrote:
Yeah, but maybe we'll get lucky and they'll add a few dates
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[deleted-user]
wrote:
Love them. Too bad their tour plans are pretty much nonexistent this year.
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BernaO wrote:
Un grupo excelente¡ Con músicay letra perfectas¡ un pena que no sean más conocidos.
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_meandthemajor wrote:
Tin Foil is one of the best songs ever! The album, Milk & Scissors, has been playing nonstop on my iPod, lately.
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_meandthemajor wrote:
My Ghost is <3 !
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chekovs_wig wrote:
'All the Time in Airports' is an incredible song. Their latest CD, Last Days of Wonder, is just brilliant. Understated and unassuming, yet so lyrically dense and beautifully set to music.
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_meandthemajor wrote:
Fabulous band!
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[deleted-user]
wrote:
I don't get what the big deal is, they're alot of folk/americana bands that are more interesting lyricly and sonicly. It just seems like one of the more contrived alt-country bands. Especially since the Carter Family wasn't terribly exciting to begin with. I guess I'm just a Denver girl.
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Euancrawford wrote:
These guys are amazing. Was gutted when I didn't see them at Fort William. My parents said they were great. :/
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yabba wrote:
i like!
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Events
- Sep 27 Carrot Top Records Sweet 16 Party! The Hideout, Chicago, United States
Recent Activity
- Oy5t3r8and, tabernas, Typhoios and 6 other people added The Handsome Family to their libraries. 5 hours ago
- scarebear tagged The Handsome Family with ‘everything’ and ‘scarebears currently checking them out’. Monday morning
- palanwen connected The Handsome Family to the group I don't like " indie ". I just like well thought out compositions. Uhm. yeah..... Sunday morning
- mlsmolka, runs007, IraKatharina and 27 other people added The Handsome Family to their libraries. last month
- Habeef added The Handsome Family to the lineup of Carrot Top Records Sweet 16 Party! at The Hideout. last month
- mtheaded added The Handsome Family to mtheaded’s library. last month
- dr_wanja tagged The Handsome Family with ‘strong buy’. last month
- the_sweep added The Handsome Family to the_sweep’s library. last month
- theonionring tagged The Handsome Family with ‘alt-country’ and ‘folk’. last month
- otis_b and cocteautriplet added The Handsome Family to their libraries. last month
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