The Kapital of Sound

The Montreal-based husband and wife duo Handsome Furs is heading to the Belly Up Sunday night to headline a bill that also features San Diego's D/Wolves and Snakesuit.

Don't be fooled by the husband/wife element -- Handsome Furs are no traveling folk duo; in fact, the band is made up of Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner and his wife, writer Alexei Perry. They broke out with their 2007 Face Control, a record named after the club culture in Eastern Europe, and also for the power that bouncers have to deny clubgoers based on their appearance.  

Handsome Furs latest record, Sound Kapital, came out last year while the two were traveling across Asia. They went on a touring expedition across the East for a VBS.tv/ CNN program called Indie Asia, producing a web travelogue doc/series. Travelling can be tough on any couple, nevermind a couple who are also in a band together under the eye of constant filming in foreign, sometimes dangerous, countries. This experiment was hardly a burden for the two road veterans, who describe themselves as "travel nerds." Sound Kapital was inspired by the experiences they had, including the auditory assault they felt constantly walking through the streets of Tokyo. They took that sensory overload and put it into their music. 

You get the sense that Handsome Furs are no tourists; they embed themselves into whatever culture they find themselves as much as possible, befriending foreign bands, experimenting with local foods -- and capturing it all themselves. I think that's why Alexei's Top 10 of 2011 list on their website is so fantastic -- it included moments that sound almost unreal: "Crossing 8 borders in 16 hours touring through the Balkans with with Bernays Propaganda," or, "Making out on a docked Ukranian gunship/venue in Budapest prior to stage time." It's that sense of adventure that makes their music so fun. Grab tickets here for the Belly Up show and immerse yourself in the Handsome Furs experience. You might just add it to your favorite moments of 2012.

Nada Alic runs the San Diego-based music blog Friends With Both Arms.Follow her updates on Twitter or contact her directly.

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