On their second album, the Handsome Family began their retreat away from the scrappy, electric guitar-based sound of their debut, Odessa, and started to ease into the lovely but unnerving mix of Appalachian textures and 20th century despair that would become their calling card on Milk and Scissors.
While "Winnebago Skeletons" and "The Dutch Boy" still feature amped-up guitars in all their noisy glory, most of the cuts reflect a more subdued approach, with acoustic guitars and subtle steel work dominating the proceedings.
Despite embracing a less-abrasive style, Brett Sparks and his spouse and musical partner, Rennie Sparks, sure didn't sound any happier than they did on their debut; Milk and Scissors features a bit less in the way of dark humor and more simple darkness, reveling in bad judgment, cruel fate, heartbreak, and simple disappointment in all its shapes and sizes.
Of course, the Handsome Family's gift is in making something beautiful and compelling out of such things, and there are a handful of great songs here, especially the darkly fanciful "Amelia Earhart vs.
the Dancing Bear" and the oddly catchy "Drunk by Noon," but for the most part Milk and Scissors captures them in mid-stylistic shift, and they would be a lot more compelling when they arrived on the other side.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake GenevaBrett Sparks, Rennie Sparks | The Handsome Family | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 2 | Winnebago SkeletonsBrett Sparks, Rennie Sparks | The Handsome Family | Play | 04:13 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 3 | Drunk by NoonBrett Sparks, Rennie Sparks | The Handsome Family | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 4 | The House CarpenterTraditional | The Handsome Family | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 5 | The Dutch BoyBrett Sparks, Rennie Sparks | The Handsome Family | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 6 | The King Who Wouldn't SmileBrett Sparks, Rennie Sparks | The Handsome Family | Play | 02:35 | 5 MB | 16 MB |
| 7 | Emily Shore 1819-1839Brett Sparks, Rennie Sparks | The Handsome Family | Play | 04:35 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 8 | 3-Legged DogDarrell Sparks | The Handsome Family | Play | 04:35 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 9 | #1 Country SongBrett Sparks | The Handsome Family | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 10 | Tin FoilBrett Sparks, Rennie Sparks | The Handsome Family | Play | 02:41 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 11 | Puddin' FingersMike Werner | The Handsome Family | Play | 01:41 | 3 MB | 8 MB |
| 37 mins | 85 MB | |||||
| 37 mins | 223 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Hagler | Engineer |
| 2 | The Handsome Family | Primary Artist, Producer |
| 3 | Brett Sparks | Composer |
| 4 | Darrell Sparks | Composer |
| 5 | Rennie Sparks | Composer |
| 6 | Traditional | Composer |
| 7 | David Trumfio | Engineer, Producer |
| 8 | Mike Werner | Composer |
The Handsome Family
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |