For the Handsome Family, upcoming album Honey Moon—a collection of love songs due April 14—is a startling left turn. The husband/wife duo of Brett and Rennie Sparks still deals in spectral bluegrass and noirish folk forms on its ninth album, but gone are the ghosts and murder ballads that had painted them into a gothic-Americana corner. (Trust us, the album is still plenty weird. Love is weird.) The Handsome Family is guest editing magnetmagazine.com this week. Read our Q&A with Brett and Rennie about Honey Moon and a host of other topics.
Brett Sparks: Barry McCormack is our friend. When we first toured Ireland, he opened for us. He rode in the van and smoked and drank whiskey. He weighed like 65 pounds. He never ate. He was usually paid in drink. He sang these great, evocative modern Irish tunes. His songs range from murder ballads to comic story songs. They’re often inspired by local histories and often feel like a musical version of James Joyce’s Dubliners. He is a unique voice in Irish music. According to Barry, after years of indolent scrounging, he has earned a modest but honest living as, among other things, a shop assistant (stationery supplies), postboy for a life insurance company, office temp, English language teacher and arts columnist.
“The Shiftless Son”:
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