Unseen (The Handsome Family album)

Last updated
Unseen
Handsome Family - Unseen.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 16, 2016 (2016-09-16)
Genre
Length42:06
Label Milk & Scissors Music, Loose Music
The Handsome Family chronology
Wilderness
(2013)
Unseen
(2016)
Hollow
(2023)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 81/100 [2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Blurt Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Folk Radio UK(positive) [5]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Line of Best Fit 6.5/10 [7]
Magnet 95/100 [8]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
PopMatters 7/10 [1]
Robert Christgau Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]

Unseen is the tenth studio album by The Handsome Family. It was released in September 2016 by the band's own label Milk & Scissors Music, [11] and Loose Music in Europe.

Contents

In a departure from recent prior albums, the main duo of Brett and Rennie Sparks were joined by three guest musicians: David Gutierrez (mandolin and dobro), Alex McMahon (guitar, baritone guitar, pedal steel), and Jason Toth (drums). [12]

Reception

The album was well received by critics: according to Metacritic, the album has received an average review score of 81/100, based on 9 reviews, "indicating universal acclaim". [2] Justin Cober-Lake of PopMatters wrote that "Unseen continues the duo's gothic folk and country aesthetic", and noted that the recent high-profile success of the Handsome Family song "Far From Any Road", which was used as the theme song to the TV series True Detective , had not seemed to change the band's approach: "they still sing from the margins, crafting alluring characters and sounds. ... With all its soft unquiet, Unseen stands with the most captivating of the pair's previous work." [1] Joe Goggins of The Line of Best Fit felt that the album did not take enough risks, stating that "it's on the cuts where there's signs of progression that Unseen excels, not least because the duo pull them off with real nuance every time." [7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by The Handsome Family

Unseen track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Gold"4:00
2."The Silver Light"3:51
3."Back in My Day"3:30
4."Tiny Tina"4:10
5."Underneath the Falls"4:13
6."The Sea Rose"3:41
7."The Red Door"5:14
8."Gentleman"3:48
9."King of Dust"5:06
10."Green Willow Valley"4:33

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. Ward</span> American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Oregon

Matthew Stephen "M." Ward is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Glendale, California. Ward's solo work is a mixture of folk and blues-inspired Americana analog recordings. He has released 10 studio albums since 1999, primarily through the independent label Merge Records. In addition to his solo work, he is a member of indie pop duo She & Him and folk-rock supergroup Monsters of Folk, and also participates in recording, producing, and playing with multiple other artists.

<i>Velocity of Sound</i> 2002 studio album by The Apples in Stereo

Velocity of Sound is the fifth studio album by The Apples in Stereo, released in October 2002. The American release has an orange album cover, while the European version is green and the Japanese version is blue. The bonus track is also different for each version.

<i>Mr. A–Z</i> 2005 studio album by Jason Mraz

Mr. A–Z is the second album by the American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, released on July 26, 2005. It is the follow-up to his first album Waiting for My Rocket to Come, released in 2002. Even with mixed reviews, it was a moderate commercial success and debuted at number 5 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart. It was recognized for mixing many different genres of music together.

<i>Akron / Family & Angels of Light</i> 2005 studio album by Akron/Family and Angels of Light

Akron/Family & Angels of Light is a split album between New York band Akron/Family and Michael Gira's band Angels of Light. It was released on November 8, 2005, via Gira's own record label, Young God Records.

<i>Oracular Spectacular</i> 2007 studio album by MGMT

Oracular Spectacular is the debut studio album by the American band MGMT, released on October 2, 2007, by RED Ink and physically on January 22, 2008, by Columbia. It was produced by Dave Fridmann and is the band's first release of new content, being recorded from March to April 2007. Promotion for the album started as early as June 2007, when the song "Weekend Wars" was given away in summer issues of free monthly magazine Nöjesguiden in Stockholm, Sweden. Matching CDs could be picked up for free in all stores in three different shopping malls around Stockholm from June 26 to July 31. The album was also promoted with three singles: "Time to Pretend", "Electric Feel" and "Kids". Both "Time to Pretend" and "Kids" were re-recorded for the album; they were originally included on the band's previous release Time to Pretend (2005), with the opening track serving as a "mission statement" and the theme continuing through the album's subsequent tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Handsome Family</span> US alternative country and Americana band

The Handsome Family is an American music duo consisting of husband and wife Brett and Rennie Sparks formed in Chicago, Illinois, and as of 2001 based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They are perhaps best known for their song "Far from Any Road" from the album Singing Bones, which was used as the main title theme for the first season of the 2014 crime drama True Detective. The band's tenth album, Unseen, was released in 2016. The band's 11th studio album Hollow, was released on September 8, 2023.

<i>Last Days of Wonder</i> 2006 album by the Handsome Family

Last Days of Wonder is the seventh studio album released by The Handsome Family. It was released 2006 by Carrot Top Records / Loose Music (Europe). The title is a reference to Puritan scientist and witch-hunter Cotton Mather's 1693 book Wonders of the Invisible World, which lyricist Rennie Sparks found intriguing because of what she called its "madness brimming under the surface of things."

<i>English Oceans</i> 2014 studio album by Drive-By Truckers

English Oceans is the tenth studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers, released on March 4, 2014, by ATO Records. It was produced by long-time collaborator David Barbe and recorded during two weeks in the late spring of 2013. Wes Freed again provided the album's artwork and cover. English Oceans marks the first time the Drive-By Truckers returned to the studio in four years and is one of three records the band has released with two songwriters. It's also the band's first record after bassist Matt Patton officially joined the band.

<i>Sunbathing Animal</i> 2014 studio album by Parquet Courts

Sunbathing Animal is the third studio album by American punk rock band Parquet Courts, released on June 3, 2014 on What's Your Rupture? and Rough Trade Records.

<i>Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of…</i> 2014 studio album by Andrew Bird

Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of... is American singer-songwriter Andrew Bird's eighth solo studio album. It was released on June 3, 2014 through Wegawam Music Co.

<i>Forever Sounds</i> 2016 studio album by Wussy

Forever Sounds is Wussy's sixth studio album. It was released on March 4, 2016, on Shake It Records in the United States and Damnably in the UK and Europe. The album reached number 20 on the Top Heatseekers album chart.

<i>Big Walnuts Yonder</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Big Walnuts Yonder

Big Walnuts Yonder is an indie rock album released in 2017 by the eponymous supergroup. Big Walnuts Yonder consists of bassist/vocalist Mike Watt from Minutemen, guitarist Nels Cline from Wilco, drummer Greg Saunier from Deerhoof, and guitarist/vocalist Nick Reinhart from Tera Melos.

<i>Beings</i> (Lanterns on the Lake album) 2015 studio album by Lanterns on the Lake

Beings is the third studio album by British indie band Lanterns on the Lake. It was released 13 November 2015 under Bella Union.

<i>Milano</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Daniele Luppi and Parquet Courts

Milano is a collaborative studio album by Italian composer Daniele Luppi and American rock band Parquet Courts. Produced by Luppi, it was released on October 27, 2017 on 30th Century Records and Columbia Records, and features several lead vocal contributions from Yeah Yeah Yeahs' singer Karen O.

<i>Ruins</i> (First Aid Kit album) 2018 studio album by First Aid Kit

Ruins is the fourth studio album by Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit. The album was produced by Tucker Martine and features contributions from R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, Wilco's Glenn Kotche and Midlake's McKenzie Smith. The album was released on 19 January 2018. The lead single "It's a Shame" was released on 28 September 2017.

<i>Fall Into the Sun</i> 2018 studio album by Swearin

Fall Into the Sun is the fourth studio album by American band Swearin'. It was released on October 5, 2018, under Merge Records, and is the band's first album since reforming in 2017.

<i>Fighting Season</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Thalia Zedek

Fighting Season is Thalia Zedek's seventh solo album, released two years after Eve.

<i>Foothills</i> (album) 2020 studio album by The Bats

Foothills is the tenth studio album by New Zealand band The Bats. It was released on 13 November 2020, through Flying Nun Records.

<i>Invitation to Hers</i> 2018 studio album by Hers

Invitation to Her's is the only studio album by English indie pop band Her's. It was released on 24 August 2018 through Heist or Hit Records, seven months before the duo were killed in a crash while touring the US.

<i>Things Are Great</i> 2022 studio album by Band of Horses

Things Are Great is the sixth studio album by indie rock band Band of Horses, released on March 4, 2022, on BMG. The album was initially produced by Grandaddy's Jason Lytle, who produced the band's previous studio album, Why Are You OK (2016), and Dave Fridmann, but was later reworked by frontman Ben Bridwell and producer Wolfgang Zimmerman.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Cober-Lake, Justin (2016-10-04). "The Handsome Family: Unseen". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  2. 1 2 "Unseen Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  3. Deming, Mark. "Unseen - The Handsome Family". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  4. Zimmerman, Lee. "THE HANDSOME FAMILY – Unseen". Blurt . Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  5. Davies, Mike (2016-09-14). "The Handsome Family: Unseen" . Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  6. Gill, Andy (2016-09-14). "Album reviews: Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree, The Handsome Family - Unseen, and more". The Independent . Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  7. 1 2 Goggins, Joe (2016-09-08). "On an understated tenth LP, The Handsome Family are content to stay in the shadows" . Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  8. Poet, J. (October 29, 2016). "The Handsome Family: Unseen". Magnet. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  9. Fyfe, Andy (2016-09-16). "The Handsome Family: Unseen". Mojo .
  10. Christgau, Robert. "The Handsome Family". Robert Christgau . Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  11. Ayers, Mike (2016-07-13). "Hear the Handsome Family's 'Gold' From Their Upcoming New Album 'Unseen' (Exclusive)". Wall Street Journal (Speakeasy blog). New York City. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
  12. "Unseen". The Handsome Family. Retrieved 2020-07-31.