I typically vote Democratic not because I actually trust the party or its members, but because their bullshit is easier for me to get behind. Face Control is bullshit that I can get behind, indie comfort music all the way through. Now, that's not a criticism in and of itself, largely because I find that indie comfort music is still far more interesting than pop comfort music (Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson) and frat-boy comfort music (Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R.). I'd certainly much rather hear it coming from my neighbor's room than "Right Round" by Flo Rida, and that's not just because of my personal taste.
Spiritually, Handsome Furs have a lot in common with other Canadian indie/art rock bands, particularly in the way they toy with the shambolic, the clangorous use of unexpected combinations of instruments, the singer's arch, fey tone. But these traits seem like red herrings here, and the band's purpose seems to be art-pop, because everything's had its edges sanded down, its surfaces burnished. As a whole, the word that describes the album best is pleasant, and for a record that goes to such lengths to signify edginess, that's not particularly fitting.
Face Control lacks dynamism, both in terms of tone and tempo, which isn't helped by the fact that most of the songs are slow and portentous. Minimal, somewhat repetitive music can be artistic and entertaining -- in pop, the weight of the song is carried by the soulful strength of the vocals, and in indie, the lyrics and the instrumentation. Unfortunately, the lyrics are often facile depictions of European club life and laments of the digitalization of post-millennial life; meanwhile, the instrumentation is by and large exactly what you'd expect from an indie-electro group. However, the best songs -- "Legal Tender," "I'm Confused," "Nyet Spasiba" -- are the rave-ups, the thrill of which more than overcomes the weaknesses in Boeckner's prose.
Handsome Furs haven't failed -- not at all. They've just created a good version of a great record, which may have been their intention all along. There's nothing wrong with wanting to sell records to the kind of people who would find Frog Eyes too abrasive or Wolf Parade too insular, too impervious to simple narrative parsing. Unfortunately, showing promise and not fulfilling it often ends up being more disappointing than never showing it in the first place, and I'm stuck thinking about the great album that could have been instead of the good album in front of me.
1. Legal Tender
2. Evangeline
3. Talking Hotel Arbat Blues
4. (Passport Kontrol)
5. All We Want, Baby, Is Everything
6. I'm Confused
7. (White City)
8. Nyet Spasiba
9. Officer of Hearts
10. (It's Not Me, It's You)
11. Thy Will Be Done
12. Radio Kaliningrad
More about: Handsome Furs
