 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Artists G-I |
||||
Handsome Family - In the Air |
 |
|||
ALBUM REVIEWSPick of the Chick: Our Favorite Releases, 1999-Present |
|
|
The Handsome Family is one of alt-country's greatest gifts and best kept secrets. On In the Air, the band's fourth studio album, The Handsome Family continue to hit all the themes that made classic country so powerful--alcohol abuse, broken relationships, death. The band delivers these themes with mellow country and western rhythms accentuated by harmonica and even accordion. The mix is topped off by the bassy croons of Brett Sparks. Although In the Air borrows many musical ingredients from classic country, it also makes a rather significant departure from the genre. The Handsome Family come from an even darker part of the country than "the man in black" himself, Johnny Cash. Many songs on In the Air make Cash's darker moments read like a kiddy story. "Up Falling Rock Hill" is the story of a man who shows no remorse after killing his brother in cold blood. The killer waits for some kind of divine justice after the murder, but Sparks sings "cicadas were hissing and the whippoorwill called, but the earth didn't open and the sky didn't fall." This is a disturbing tale in itself, but the matter-of-fact musical underpinning in this song makes the message even more jarring. Other tracks like "Poor, Poor Lenore," "Lie Down," and "My Beautiful Bride" also address themes of death. The dark mood comes to a head with "When That Helicopter Comes," The Handsome Family's vision of the apocalypse where rocks roll uphill and the dead come alive. "When That Helicopter Comes" is followed by "Grandmother Waits for You"--a song that stands in stark contrast to the previous themes of death and apocalypse. "Grandmother Waits for You" paints a comforting and even humorous picture of the afterlife, where "the hills are scattered with empty wheelchairs and hearing aids thrown to the ground." The Handsome Family seem to be saying that despite all of life's ugliness, there is solace in what comes after. Aside from this nugget of hope, The Handsome Family dwell on the uglier parts of humanity throughout In the Air. But there is beauty even in the ugly truths. The Handsome Family's ability and willingness to dish out these truths gives their music more power and legitimacy than any of the pop-country garbage currently littering the airwaves. PIGEONHOLE: Gothic alt-country with dark (and
sometimes unsettling) themes, but the skillful imagery keeps you coming
back for another listen.
Andrew Helminger |
THE HANDSOME FAMILY
