No music fan who appreciates good storytelling can deny that Rennie Sparks is one of the most original and talented lyricists in indie music today. Until Last Days of Wonder, her husband, Brett Sparks, has consistently rivaled her ability on the songwriting end of things. As illustrated on any of the Handsome Family's previous records — most notably In the Air and Through the Trees — Brett has a knack for writing memorably quirky and often beautiful melodies. With the exception of a few tracks on Last Days of Wonder, however, Rennie's outstanding lyrics are lost amid boring, ultimately forgettable melodies and lackluster instrumentation.
The centerpiece of the record is the lovely and melancholic "Beautiful William," about a man who disappears one day despite leaving behind signs of life as usual: "He left his lights burning/ He left his perfect lawn/ His automatic sprinklers about to switch on." The pretty melody floats in 3/4 time above a folky, acoustic guitar accompaniment coupled with harmonica synth/recorded sounds from crystal wine glasses. Each verse swells with Brett sadly singing, "Why would he leave us/ Why would he leave us this way?"
Another bright spot on the record is "Our Blue Sky," a typical Handsome Family song in its atypical embrace of all things natural and earthy, from black buzzing flies to pigs and dirt, all things that share this world, regardless of how "modernized" it may have become.
If the rest of the album shared the consistency of these two songs, it would rival all the other HF records. And it's still better than most of the records that have come out this year; it's just that the Sparks family has set such a high precedent that even slight missteps are bound to disappoint.
1. Your Great Journey
2. Telsa's Hotel Room
3. These Golden Jewels
4. After We Shot The Grizzly
5. Flapping Your Broken Wings
6. Beautiful William
7. All The Time In Airports
8. White Lights
9. Bowling Alley Bar
10. Hunter Green
11. Our Blue Sky
12. Somewhere Else To Be