I Don’t Know But I’ve Been Told

Handsome Furs @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 7/8/2009
Legal Tender / Talking Hotel Arbat Blues / All We Want, Baby, Is Everything / Evangeline / I’m Confused / ? / White City / Nyet Spasiba / The Handsome Furs Hate This City / Radio Kaliningrad // Dead + Rural / ?

Handsome Furs “Talking Hotel Arbat Blues”It’s probably difficult to watch a Handsome Furs show without feeling a bit of envy for Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry: They are clearly doing their favorite thing with their favorite person, throwing themselves fully into the moment and enjoying every second of it. Boeckner’s body language is loose and relaxed, contrasting with the nervous energy in his voice. Perry is restless and spazzy, kicking and falling dramatically through the set, and being about 400% more physical than her task as a keyboard player and drum machine operator requires. The songs and the performances are intense, but in watching the show, your mind doesn’t go to a dark and desperate place. Instead, you just marvel at this couple’s wonderful chemistry, laugh at their banter, and smile when they display a deep gratitude for the very fact that you showed up to see them play in a city with a myriad entertainment options. Not everyone gets to live the dream like these two, but it’s pretty obvious that they deserve it.

Buy it from Amazon.

- Matthew Perpetua