Handsome Furs
Encyclopedia
Handsome Furs is a Montreal
-based indie rock
duo which consists of Dan Boeckner
, of Wolf Parade
and Atlas Strategic
, and his wife, writer Alexei Perry
.
, in 2007. "Handsome Furs" was the title of a short story that Alexei was writing at the time of band's conception.
In a December 2007 interview, Boeckner revealed that the band was in the writing stages of a new full-length album, to be titled Face Control
:
The inspiration behind Face Control was a peculiar aspect of club culture they observed while on tour in Eastern Europe: if party goers wish to reserve a table at a bar in Moscow, they must pay large sums of money through PayPal
or with cash, however their seat is still not guaranteed; bouncers have the authority to turn reserved patrons away from the bar based solely on appearance, which has been termed "face control".
A number of new songs were showcased during their spring tour: "Officer of Hearts", "Heaven", "Legal Tender", and "Radio Kaliningrad". On November 12, 2008, Sub Pop records announced that Handsome Furs' second album Face Control would be released February 3, 2009. Also reported was the album's complete track listing, which includes twelve tracks.
Later the release date was pushed back to March 10; a New Order
song is referenced in the track "All We Want, Baby, Is Everything" and this needed to be cleared with the band. The first single from Face Control is "I'm Confused," and the video is directed by Scott Coffey
.
Their third album, Sound Kapital
was released on June 28, 2011.
Interviews
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
-based indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
duo which consists of Dan Boeckner
Dan Boeckner
Dan Boeckner is a Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist. He currently fronts the indie rock bands Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs and was previously a member of Atlas Strategic.-Overview:...
, of Wolf Parade
Wolf Parade
Wolf Parade is an indie rock band formed in 2003 from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band is currently on an indefinite hiatus as of May 31, 2011.-History:...
and Atlas Strategic
Atlas Strategic
Atlas Strategic was an indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.-History:The band was composed of Dan Boeckner on guitar and vocals; Johnny Pollard on organ, synthesizer, saxophone, and backing vocals; Steve Simard on drums; and Brooklyn Cannon on guitar and backing vocals.Their...
, and his wife, writer Alexei Perry
Alexei Perry
Alexei Perry is a Canadian short-story writer and musician. She is best known for playing keyboards in the indie rock duo Handsome Furs with her husband Dan Boeckner, who is known for his work in Wolf Parade and Atlas Strategic.-Overview:...
.
Music
Handsome Furs signed on to Sub Pop Records in late 2006, and released their first full-length album, Plague ParkPlague Park
Plague Park is Handsome Furs' first full-length album. Handsome Furs is Dan Boeckner and his wife, Alexei Perry.The record is named after the park Ruttopuisto, situated in Helsinki, Finland...
, in 2007. "Handsome Furs" was the title of a short story that Alexei was writing at the time of band's conception.
In a December 2007 interview, Boeckner revealed that the band was in the writing stages of a new full-length album, to be titled Face Control
Face Control
-Additional personnel:* Jouko Lehtola - Artwork* Harris Newman - Mastering, Remastering* Dusty Summers - Art Direction* Arlen Thompson - Audio Engineer, Engineer, Mixing-Charts:-Videos:* - Radio K in-studio performance.* - Radio K in-studio performance....
:
- "When Alexei and I got back from RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
we were going to do an EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, but we’re also going to do a full album of new songs because we have so many. It’s going to be different than the last record... The last one was so intense and heavy in one direction that we wanted to do something different..."
The inspiration behind Face Control was a peculiar aspect of club culture they observed while on tour in Eastern Europe: if party goers wish to reserve a table at a bar in Moscow, they must pay large sums of money through PayPal
PayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
or with cash, however their seat is still not guaranteed; bouncers have the authority to turn reserved patrons away from the bar based solely on appearance, which has been termed "face control".
A number of new songs were showcased during their spring tour: "Officer of Hearts", "Heaven", "Legal Tender", and "Radio Kaliningrad". On November 12, 2008, Sub Pop records announced that Handsome Furs' second album Face Control would be released February 3, 2009. Also reported was the album's complete track listing, which includes twelve tracks.
Later the release date was pushed back to March 10; a New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
song is referenced in the track "All We Want, Baby, Is Everything" and this needed to be cleared with the band. The first single from Face Control is "I'm Confused," and the video is directed by Scott Coffey
Scott Coffey
Scott Coffey is an American actor, director, producer, screenwriter. His acting credits include films such as Shag, Some Kind of Wonderful, Dream Lover, and Mulholland Drive...
.
Their third album, Sound Kapital
Sound Kapital
Sound Kapital is Handsome Furs' third full-length album. It was released through Sub Pop Records on June 28, 2011. According to a press release, Sound Kapital is inspired by the electronic and industrial music of 1980s Eastern Europe and it is the first album that the duo wrote entirely on...
was released on June 28, 2011.
Media
The duo also star in a new original travel web series, "Indie Asia" produced by CNN.com that premiered January 21, 2010. The weekly documentary series follows the band's travels in China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam. While on their first Asian tour, the group stopped and performed at Club Culture in Bangkok, Thailand.Singles
- "Dumb Animals" (2007)
- "Can't Get Started" (2007)
- "I'm Confused" (2009)
- "What About Us" (2011)
Albums
- Plague ParkPlague ParkPlague Park is Handsome Furs' first full-length album. Handsome Furs is Dan Boeckner and his wife, Alexei Perry.The record is named after the park Ruttopuisto, situated in Helsinki, Finland...
(2007) - Face ControlFace Control-Additional personnel:* Jouko Lehtola - Artwork* Harris Newman - Mastering, Remastering* Dusty Summers - Art Direction* Arlen Thompson - Audio Engineer, Engineer, Mixing-Charts:-Videos:* - Radio K in-studio performance.* - Radio K in-studio performance....
(2009) - Sound KapitalSound KapitalSound Kapital is Handsome Furs' third full-length album. It was released through Sub Pop Records on June 28, 2011. According to a press release, Sound Kapital is inspired by the electronic and industrial music of 1980s Eastern Europe and it is the first album that the duo wrote entirely on...
(2011)
See also
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
- Music of QuebecMusic of QuebecBeing a modern cosmopolitan society, today, all types of music can be found in the Canadian province of Quebec. What is specific to Quebec though are traditional songs, a unique variety of Celtic music, legions of excellent jazz musicians, a culture of classical music, and a love of foreign rhythms...
- Canadian rockCanadian rockCanadian rock describes a wide and diverse variety of music produced by Canadians, beginning with American style rock 'n' roll in the mid-20th century. Since then Canada has had a considerable impact on the development of the modern popular music called rock...
- List of Canadian musicians
- List of bands from Canada
- :Category:Canadian musical groups
External links
Interviews
- "Handsome Furs: Surviving Tour With Your Lover" by Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry in Anathem magazine
- Handsome Furs Concert Reviews
- June 2009 Interview with L.A. RecordL.A. RecordL.A. Record is an independent music magazine originally published weekly as a broadsheet poster. The poster usually depicts a local Los Angeles musicians and according to the magazine editors is meant to recreate an iconic album cover. In March 2008, it began publishing as a monthly magazine with a...