CD Review: Handsome Furs

The key to Handsome Furs is their duality. The husband and wife team of Dan Boeckner (who does double duty in Wolf Parade) and Alexei Perry burn the fire of unrestricted lovers. Their passion typically comes through when Boeckner's steamy guitar squalls meet Perry's infectious electrobeats. Sound Kapital, their third album, was written mostly on keyboards, which results in more club sounds than rock ones. There's still some of the jarring claustrophobia found on their other records, though the new setting loses some of the Furs' impulses. But there's also more songcraft on display here. "What About Us" meshes intermittent bee buzzing with a simple keyboard melody, while "When I Get Back" works up a sweaty dance fever. Sound Kapital may be short on the duo's bark, but there's still plenty of bite. — Danielle Sills