Last Days of Wonder is the seventh studio album released by The Handsome Family. It was released 2006 by Carrot Top Records (North America) / Loose Music (Europe). The title is a reference to Puritan scientist and witch-hunter Cotton Mather's 1693 book Wonders of the Invisible World, which lyricist Rennie Sparks found intriguing because of what she called its "madness brimming under the surface of things."[6]
| Last Days of Wonder | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2006 | |||
| Length | 43:23 | |||
| Label | Carrot Top / Loose Music | |||
| The Handsome Family chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The A.V. Club | A−[2] |
| Pitchfork Media | 6.7/10[3] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[4] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |   [5] |
Reception edit
The album was well received by critics: according to Metacritic, the album has received an average review score of 80/100, based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[1] Critic Robert Christgau wrote, "At her best—which must not come easy, or they'd release more and more consistent albums—Rennie Sparks is a great American realist."[4] The A.V. Club's Christopher Bahn said that "the Sparks don't seem particularly interested in experimenting with new musical styles, but that isn't a weakness so much as an unswerving fix on what they do better than anyone else."[2]
Track listing edit
- "Your Great Journey" – 3:13
- "Tesla's Hotel Room" – 3:56
- "These Golden Jewels" – 3:32
- "After We Shot The Grizzly" – 3:33
- "Flapping Your Broken Wings" – 3:45
- "Beautiful William" – 4:22
- "All The Time In Airports" – 3:43
- "White Lights" – 3:36
- "Bowling Alley Bar" – 2:52
- "Hunter Green" - 4:29
- "Our Blue Sky" - 2:59
- "Somewhere Else To Be" - 3:23
Personnel[7] edit
- The Handsome Family
- Rennie Sparks - lyrics; artwork; some autoharp, banjo, ukulele, vocals
- Brett Sparks - music; all instruments except as follows
with:
- David Coulter - saw on "These Golden Jewels"
- Stephen Dorocke - pedal steel on "Your Great Journey" and "Somewhere Else to Be"
- David Gutierrez - jazz guitar on "After We Shot the Grizzly"
- Eric Johnson - banjo on "After We Shot the Grizzly"
- Darrel Sparks - harmony vocals on "All The Time in Airports", "Our Blue Sky" and "Your Great Journey"
- Mark Weaver - trombone on "Tesla's Hotel Room"
- Amanda Kooser - 12-string guitar on "Our Blue Sky"
- Technical
- Mastered by Roger Seibel/SAE - mastering
- Johanna Nelson - back cover photo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/girlfromauntie).
- Sheila Sachs - layout assistance
References edit
- ^ a b "Last Days of Wonder Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
- ^ a b Bahn, Christopher (5 July 2006). "Review: The Handsome Family, Last Days Of Wonder". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ "The Handsome Family: Last Days of Wonder". Pitchfork.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "The Handsome Family". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
- ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1637. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
- ^ Bahn, Christopher (8 February 2006). "Interview: Brett and Rennie Sparks of The Handsome Family". A.V. Club. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ cf. Brett & Rennie Sparks (2006): Credits. In Last Days Of Wonder [CD booklet]. Chicago: Carrot Top Records.
External links edit
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