Album Review: The Handsome Family - Wilderness

Wilderness is the ninth full-length album from husband/wife duo The Handsome Family and it comes four years after their previous one, Honey Moon, which served as a tribute to their own 20-year marriage. It's an understatement to say that this musical duo is closer than most.

Following the reflective and personal Honey Moon, Wilderness returns the band to more familiar territory; narrative songs soaked in Faulkner-esque Southern gothic poetry and prose. The album follows the loose concept of a wild 'nature' often clashing with 'nurture', with each track being titled after an animal. Opener, Flies, exemplifies the album's obsession with nature vs nurture – addressed to General Custer, “Dear Custer there's a WalMart now/Where once the grizzlies roamed/Everyone still has a gun”.

Musically, the band sticks to what they know, channelling Americana, alt.country and honky tonk-influenced indie folk, all serving as suitable backing for the world-weary baritone of singer Brett Sparks.

The lyrics are what carry Handsome Family albums though, and the band has learned much in its years. The 12 songs here are all deeply humanist and loving despite their often dark and miserable nature. Honey Moon's personal and grounded approach finds a peaceful home amongst the duo's more traditional and abstract tales of life and woe. Unfortunately, the album never sees the band really stepping out of their comfort zone. This is simply 'another album from The Handsome Family' who, after 20 years, have nothing left to prove. Fans will love the record and the unconverted will remain so, but it is very difficult to entirely resist the charm of this album of conflicts – between nature and nurture, between the abstract and personal.