New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Husband and wife duo The Handsome Family will release their 10th studio album Unseen next week on
September 16th via Virtual Label. It's their first release since their song "Far From Any Road" was picked up as the True Detective Season 1 theme song which launched the couple into sudden and unexpected worldwide fame. With its unique mix of country instrumentation and intriguing surrealist lyriciscm, the album explores the unseen stories, people, and places of the American West, where members
Brett and Rennie Sparks live (Albuquerque, NM) and shines a light on the obscure and forgotten. Today, the Sparks' debuted the video for their latest song "Tiny Tina" on Glide Magazine which features "public domain footage from some pretty dismal carnivals."
"This was a song that took years to write," Rennie told Glide. "At first it was about the world�s largest ball of twine and then a pancake eating contest. Finally the song began to buck and rear and at last I realized it was about a little horse. It�s a song about the sadness of carnivals. Beyond the blinking glitter there is always real life waiting for you to return. Funnel cakes can only make us forget our sorrows temporarily. Is this why I was afraid to go see the world�s smallest horse? I did see the world�s largest jack rabbit once. It was wrought of cement and disappointment. I found out what rattlesnake eggs were on that trip too as well as ghost poop (styrofoam peanuts in a baggie). Oh, the heartache of shattered dreams."
Unseen continues The Handsome Family's embrace of things beyond easy view: the slow dive of the sun, enormous bugs awakening in thorny yards, sirens, and coyotes that cry out to the purple sky. An epic western gothic masterpiece, Unseen draws from real life events. Lead single "Gold", debuted by Wall Street Journal, began when a bunch of twenty-dollar bills blew in Brett's face in a parking lot dust storm, while "Gentlemen" is a tribute to
William Crookes who built the first vacuum tube in 1875, hoping to detect spirits from alternate dimensions. Many tracks fix around the idea that light emanates from things we can't see, including behind "The Red Door" in the empty hands of blackjack losers ("The
Silver Light"), and amidst desert bones bleaching in the sun ("King of Dust").
The album was recorded in the Sparks' home studio at night "with only hawk moths listening" and features a rich tapestry of instrumentation conjuring images of the magical landscape of the Sparks' New Mexico surroundings. Guest performers on the record include
David Gutierrez (mandolin, dobro), Alex McMahon (guitar, baritone guitar, pedal steel), and Jason Toth (drums).
The Sparks have released 10 albums since 1995's Odessa. Their songs have been covered by artists including Jeff Tweedy,
Amanda Palmer, and
Andrew Bird (who released an entire record of Handsome Family covers). Guns 'N' Roses used "Far From Any Road" as stage entrance music for a South American tour and both
Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr are fans.
Track List:
01) Gold
02) The
Silver Light
03) Back In My Day
04) Tiny Tina
05) Underneath The Falls
06) The Sea Rose
07) The Red Door
08) Gentlemen
09) King Of Dust
10) Green
Willow Valley
US Tour Dates:
09/15 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Cedar
09/16 - Madison, WI @ The Frequency
09/17 - Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
09/18 - Chicago, IL @ Old Town School
09/19 - Chicago, IL @ Old Town School
09/21 - St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
09/24 - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
09/25 - Cleveland, OH @ The
Music Box Supper Club
09/27 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
09/29 - Portsmouth, NH @ The
Music Loft
09/30 - New York, NY @ The Mercury Lounge
10/01 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Knitting Factory
11/12 - Albuquerque, NM @ The Launchpad
11/30 - Bellingham, WA @ The Green Frog
12/01 - Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door
12/02 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
12/03 - Arcata, CA @ Humboldt Brews
12/07 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American
Music Hall
12/08 - Felton, CA @ Don Quixote's International
Music Hall
12/09 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Bootleg Theater
12/10 - Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace
12/13 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
