(Sub Pop/Inertia)

Dripping in ‘80s electronic nostalgia.

I must admit that my love of Wolf Parade’s debut record Apologies To The Queen Mary, along with my scepticism of side projects generally, has put me off exploring the work of Canadian electro-rock duo Handsome Furs. I’ve always considered Handsome Furs, which features Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade and with his musician-author wife Alexei Perry, as the annoying little brother of Boeckner’s more well-known group, something of a distraction more than a serious endeavour. Now, after listening to the group’s third record Sound Kapital, I realise that I’ve been wrong to dismiss them so flippantly. Sound Kapital is journey back to the Cold War era, reviving electronic industrial music and overlaying it with themes of totalitarianism. Pulses are kept racing by a roster of drum machines, jagged synths, and authoritarian basslines, though you’ll be forgiven for picking out elements of The Cure, with songs like Damage recalling the mood of the British group’s A Forest. Boeckner’s warbled vocals and messages of dystopia work well with the wave after wave of blips that surge into our ears, clearly evinced on tracks such as highlight Repatriated. However, their approach can wear thin, particularly in the middle of the record, and monotonous tracks like Serve The People ultimately show Sound Kapital is one of those records that may grab you at first, but will fail to hold your long-term attention. Sound Kapital shows that Handsome Furs have the right ideas, but fall inches short of putting them in the perfect order.

***½

DARRAGH MURRAY

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