About
Like the Louvins, the Handsome Family excel at creating creepy country music. Murder ballads, songs about suffocating fireflies in mason jars, and musings of drowning senior citizens are all just a part of this pastoral duo's vibe. If the production on their recordings seems as cold and sterile as a thawed-out cadaver, it's because they prefer recording their music on a Macintosh G3 in the comfort of home. Brett Sparks' voice has a low baritone ring that fuses with the Mother Maybelle Carter-inspired inflections of his wife Rennie, an endearingly demure woman who admits to not being able to walk into a room without seeing a spider somewhere. If Edward Gorey were alive and sporting Wranglers, this would be his favorite band.
- Eric Shea
- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.