Humour Of The Handsome Family

Frank Zappa once ironically asked the question 'does humour belong in music?'
On the surface you wouldn’t think that there’s much to laugh about in the dark twisted southern gothic of husband and wife alt-country duo The Handsome Family. Brett Sparks deadpan baritone voice adds extra dark gravitas to Rennie Sparks lyrics that are often tales about murder, suicide, and ghosts.
‘A woman drove her Saturn into the black water.
Killed herself and her two kids trapped in the back seat.
She'd lost her job and didn't want her kids to be poor.’ -Snow White Diner.

But humour can sometimes be found in the darkest of places, and there’s plenty of black humour to be found in The Handsome Family. Like on a song on their second album Milk And Scissors called Drunk By Noon. For a start it has a great title but it's the line ‘Sometimes I can't wait to come down with cancer. At least then I'll get to watch TV all day’ that really gets me.

Get The Handsome Family: Drunk By Noon Here