Handsome Furs - Mercury Lounge 03.06.09

via Modage's Flickr

A remedy for any case of the blues, Handsome Furs' forthcoming Face Control is an album that I've cranked up while walking around the city, especially very late at night. With his wife Alexei Perry, Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade) has created an irresistibly fun dance-rock album. I was pretty bummed about being thirty minutes too late in buying tickets to the sold-out show, but I managed to grab a pair via the miracle that is Mercury Lounge's Twitter. I'm so addicted to Twitter, for all the right reasons.

Sometimes after a long week, all you want to do on a Friday night is grab a few drinks and let your body move to the grooves. After standing through two opening acts, surprisingly good/appropriate (The Hundred in the Hands) and not-so-much (Iran sans Kyp Malone), Handsome Furs finally took the stage to start a much-needed dance party. For whatever reason, I had expected some sort of elaborate stage set-up with lots of gear. Because they really pack the punch on record, I just assumed that they performed with traveling back-up members. Instead, Handsome Furs is truly a duo both on and offstage. It was just Dan with his guitar and Alexei on synth/drum machine, and that was all I needed to hear.

Unsurprisingly, with the release of Face Control in just a few days, Handsome Furs played most of their new record, which four lucky winners of an impromptu trivia challenge received last night. Not only was the music perfect for dancing, the shoe-less Alexei was so energetic and fun to watch. I may have a new idol (Sorry, Karen O). And how does Dan make the guitar look so easy to play? Seriously, he makes it look completely effortless.

Although I've been living in New York for nearly five years now, I can never get over how much the crowd can suck sometimes. While I was dancing and having a good time, not many people within my (limited) range of vision were moving more than just their heads. Tragic, since the Handsome Furs show was one of the most fun ones I've been to in awhile. They definitely deserve a warm reception.

Face Control is officially available on March 10. Pre-order via Sub Pop here. It's great for personal dancing in your underwear...not that I would know.

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