For the Handsome Family, upcoming album Honey Moon—a collection of love songs due April 14—is a startling left turn. The husband/wife duo of Brett and Rennie Sparks still deals in spectral bluegrass and noirish folk forms on its ninth album, but gone are the ghosts and murder ballads that had painted them into a gothic-Americana corner. (Trust us, the album is still plenty weird. Love is weird.) The Handsome Family is guest editing magnetmagazine.com this week. Read our Q&A with Brett and Rennie about Honey Moon and a host of other topics.
Brett Sparks: The Ink Spots were a vocal group that was popular in from the ’30s to the ’50s. In 1935, a Melody Maker reviewer said, “The sensation of the programme is the coloured quartette, the Four Ink Spots … Their natural instinct for hot rhythm is exemplified in their terrific single-string solo work and their beautifully balanced and exquisitely phrased vocalisms. They exploit all kinds of rhythmic vocalisms—straight solos, concerted, scat, and instrumental imitations. They even throw in a bit of dancing to conclude their act, and the leading guitarist simultaneously plays and juggles with his instrument.” The Ink Spots were brilliant vocalists who concocted ethereal arrangements of the world’s beautiful songs.
“My Prayer”:
https://magnetmagazine.com/audio/MyPrayer.mp3
