If Handsome Furs were Troy McClure, you might remember parts of them from such acts as Wolf Parade. I don’t know why record labels think it is funny to make an album that does not include either band members or a track listing, but Sub Pop is busting up somewhere, I know it.
“I’m Confused” reminds me of Billy Idol. When I was in high school, Mr. Balochie would give us cassette tapes of our Spanish lessons so we could use rote memory to pass his tests. It never helped us learn Spanish, but I guess the purpose is to pass the class, right? At any rate, one of the sentences was “You all can’t believe that he listens to Billy Idol.” I think it was a test of the subjunctive tense.
“(White City)” has the keyboards to go with the drum machine that the rest of the tracks have. Therefore, it sounds like a good song. Why these past two tracks are stuck in the middle of the album is beyond me.
“Nyet Spasiba” gives them a turkey as the third straight strike of a song. The track order is just ridiculously bad. I suppose with no checks and balances (the track listing) there was no motivation to put the good songs first. “Officer of Hearts” makes it four in a row. Really, what were they thinking?
The parenthetical songs are actually interludes, so that means I was not allowed to like “(White City)” as well as “(It’s Not Me It’s You).” It is clear that the lack of a track listing was premeditated, because that is why they put the titles in parentheses. I’m disappointed in you, Sub Pop.
“Thy Will Be Done” has an early 1980s feel, but it sounds mailed in. I bet when they play this live that it gets the crowd going and that everyone likes it.
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