Handsome Furs

Sound Kapital Sub Pop **

Sound Kapital Sub Pop**

Wolf Parade may be on an "indefinite hiatus", but Dan Boeckner has no intention of lying back and twiddling his thumbs. The guitarist's side project (with wife Alexei Perry) is a very different proposition to that band's quirky indie sound, although Handsome Furs' third album isn't nearly radical enough to make any sort of breakthrough. Moving further into the club realm with these nine synth-addled tracks may prove the Montreal duo's downfall. Whereas the beats and guitar combo on Face Control(2009) was comparable to New Order, many of these songs sound like MGMT cast-offs, doused in tinny drum machine beats and flavourless repetition. It seems ironic that redemption comes in the form of the punky Cheap Music. It would seem that money can't buy you happiness – or a hit album. See handsomefurs.com

Download tracks: Memories of the Future, Cheap Music

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy is a freelance journalist and broadcaster. She writes about music and the arts for The Irish Times