Sound Kapital
Studio album by
Handsome Furs
ReleasedJune 28, 2011
Studio
GenreElectropunk
Length40:13
LabelSub Pop
Producer
Handsome Furs chronology
Face Control
(2009)		 Sound Kapital
(2011)

Sound Kapital is the third studio album by Canadian indie rock duo Handsome Furs. It was released through Sub Pop Records on June 28, 2011. According to a press release, Sound Kapital is inspired by the electronic and industrial music of 1980s Eastern Europe and it is the first album that Dan Boeckner wrote entirely on keyboards, although most songs do include guitars.[2]

The album was named as a shortlisted nominee for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize on July 17, 2012.[3]

Production

Sound Kapital was recorded at the Handsome Furs' studio in Montreal, Canada, before being produced by Howard Bilerman and Arlen Thompson at Hotel2Tango.[1]

Release

On April 12, 2011, Handsome Furs announced they were releasing their third studio album Sound Kapital.[4]

Singles

The first single from Sound Kapital was "What About Us", and released on April 12, 2011, the same day as the album release announcement.[4] Musician Diamond Rings remixed the track for his remix series Remix Rainbows.[5][6]

On May 20, 2011, the second track "Repatriated" was released.[7][8]

Music videos

The music video for "What About Us" was released on July 8, 2011, and was directed by Scott Coffey.[9]

Tour

In support of the album, Handsome Furs went on a tour of North American and Europe, starting on April 14, 2011 at The Bell House in Brooklyn, New York, and finished on May 22, 2011 at the Konsertforeningen Betong venue in Oslo, Norway.[6] The duo announced more tours on May 20, 2011 for Canada and midwest United States, making appearances at North by Northeast,[10] 80/35 Music Festival[11] and Capitol Hill Block Party.[12][13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.2/10[14]
Metacritic75/100[15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
The A.V. ClubB−[17]
Beats Per Minute67%[18]
Consequence of SoundB[19]
DIY[20]
Drowned in Sound7/10[21]
NME[22]
Now[23]
Paste7.5/10[24]
Pitchfork8.1/10[25]

Sound Kapital was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 75 based on 19 reviews.[15] Aggregate website AnyDecentMusic? gave the release a 7.2 out of 10 based on a critical consensus of 12 reviews.[14]

In a review for AllMusic, critic reviewer Jason Lymangrover wrote: "Sound Kapital was inspired by the last two years of traveling Asia. Aspects of J-pop and K-pop seem to have permeated their mindset, since, as an electronic duo, everything is light, peppy, straight-ahead, and modern-sounding, often to the point of sounding inhuman."[16] At The A.V. Club, Steven Hyden explained: "Sound Kapital consists mainly of catchy, mid-tempo rock songs where majestic guitar solos and atmospheric keyboard swishes swoop in from mid-'80s U2 and Tears For Fears records."[17] Harley Brown of Consequence of Sound reviewed the album: "Sound Kapital exemplifies form mirroring content and vice versa. The electro-industrial synthesizers and drum machines convey the Handsome Furs' lyrical convictions better than the band's earlier, less bombastic combinations of synths and guitar. Boeckner's tenuous voice sounds at home bouncing off Perry's grungy beats, and the two unleash their potential behind the keyboards."[19] At Drowned in Sound, Neil Ashman described the album as "a successful, if slightly creatively stifling refinement of a fruitful and unique musical partnership."[21]

Writing for Rolling Stone, writer Doree Shafrir wrote: "Boeckner and his wife Alexei Perry's danceable electronic-pop sound belies the album's often melancholy themes of love, self-discovery and rebirth. Sweaty and urgent, Sound Kapital is a snapshot of a dark world with hard-fought glimmers of euphoria."[26]

Track listing

Sound Kapital track listing
No.TitleLength
1."When I Get Back"4:42
2."Damage"3:18
3."Bury Me Standing"4:05
4."Memories of the Future"3:45
5."Serve the People"4:06
6."What About Us"5:16
7."Repatriated"4:48
8."Cheap Music"3:04
9."No Feelings"7:00
iTunes bonus track[27]
No.TitleLength
10."Agony"4:50

Personnel

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Sound Kapital by Handsome Furs". Sub Pop. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  2. ↑ Breihan, Tom (April 12, 2011). "Handsome Furs Announce New Album". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  3. ↑ Mudhar, Raju (June 14, 2012). "Polaris Prize long list includes lots of Toronto bands". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Hakimian, Rob (April 12, 2011). "Handsome Furs announce new album". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  5. ↑ Cosores, Philip (June 15, 2011). "Handsome Furs – "What About Us" (Diamond Rings remix)". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on September 9, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Coplan, Chris (April 14, 2011). "Handsome Furs announce new record, Sound Kapital". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  7. ↑ Hakimian, Rob (May 20, 2011). "Handsome Furs - Repatriated". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  8. ↑ Young, Alex (May 20, 2011). "Handsome Furs' "Repatriated" + their NSFW album cover". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  9. ↑ Coplan, Chris (July 8, 2011). "Video: Handsome Furs – "What About Us"". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  10. ↑ Bolton, Ryan (June 20, 2011). "NXNE Showcases". Ryan-bolton.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  11. ↑ "80/35 2011 Festival Preview". QRO Magazine. June 27, 2011. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  12. ↑ Young, Alex (May 20, 2011). "Handsome Furs announce summer tour". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  13. ↑ Scherziner, Julia (June 1, 2011). "Capitol Hill Block Party Lineup for 2011". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  14. 1 2 "AnyDecentMusic Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  15. 1 2 "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 10, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  16. 1 2 Lymangrover, Jason. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  17. 1 2 Hyden, Steven (June 28, 2011). "The A.V. Club Review". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  18. ↑ Cosores, Phillip (June 30, 2011). "BPM Review". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  19. 1 2 Brown, Harley (June 21, 2011). "Consequence of Sound Review". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  20. ↑ O'Malley, Gareth. "DIY Magazine Review". DIY. Archived from the original on July 10, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  21. 1 2 Ashman, Neil (June 27, 2011). "Drowned in Sound Review". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  22. ↑ Webb, Rob (June 21, 2011). "NME Review". NME. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  23. ↑ Keller, Jason (June 9, 2011). "Now Review". Now. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  24. ↑ Kszystyniak, Andrea (June 28, 2011). "Paste Magazine Review". Paste. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  25. ↑ Berman, Stuart (June 29, 2011). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  26. ↑ Shafrir, Doree (June 28, 2011). "Rolling Stone Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Sound Kapital (Bonus Track Version) by Handsome Furs". Apple Music. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
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