In the Air (The Handsome Family album)

In The Air is the fifth album released by the American band the Handsome Family. It was released in 2000 by Carrot Top Records (North America) / Loose Music (Europe) and comes as an enhanced audio CD with an additional video for the song "Amelia Earhart vs. The Dancing Bear," from Milk and Scissors (directed by Bill Ward).

In The Air
Studio album by
Released2000
Genre
Length37:03
LabelCarrot Top / Loose Music
The Handsome Family chronology
Down in the Valley
(1998)
In The Air
(2000)
Twilight
(2001)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Spin8/10[2]
Village VoiceA−[3]
Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]

Los Angeles Times critic Randall Roberts praised the "tender urgency" and "morbid wit" of the song "So Much Wine”, calling it "a little pearl of destruction" and "the perfect introduction to the Family’s world."[6]

Track listing

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All music by Brett Sparks, all lyrics by Rennie Sparks.

  1. "Don't Be Scared" – 2:39
  2. "The Sad Milkman" – 3:40
  3. "In The Air" – 3:30
  4. "A Beautiful Thing" – 3:39
  5. "So Much Wine" – 3:48
  6. "Up Falling Rock Hill" – 2:57
  7. "Poor, Poor Lenore" – 3:41
  8. "When That Helicopter Comes" – 2:32
  9. "Grandmother Waits For You" (inspired by "Where We'll Never Grow Old" as performed by The Smith Sacred Singers) – 3:50
  10. "Lie Down" - 3:30
  11. "My Beautiful Bride" - 3:17

Additional Personnel

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Source:[7]

  • Brad Miller - Band photo
  • Andrew Bird - violin on "Poor, Poor Lenore", "Up Falling Rock Hill" and "When That Helicopter..."
  • Darrel Sparks - back-up caterwaul on "When That Helicopter..."; guitar on "The Sad Milkman"

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Layne, Joslyn. "In the Air - The Handsome Family". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  2. ^ Weisbard, Eric (June 2000). "Kelly Hogan and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts: Beneath the Country Underdog/The Handsome Family: In the Air/Mekons: Journey to the End of the Night". Spin. SPIN Media LLC. p. 162. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000-05-02). "Alt Lives!!". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music. Virgin. p. 185. ISBN 9780753504277.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1637. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  6. ^ Roberts, Randall (2014-02-27). "'True Detective' music: 10 other great songs by the Handsome Family". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  7. ^ cf. Brett & Rennie Sparks (2000): Credits. In In The Air [CD booklet]. Chicago: Carrot Top Records.
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