The Handsome Family - Honey Moon
“Honey Moon is sensual and celebratory.” —Oprah Magazine
“Brett and Rennie Sparks continue to put a brilliantly surreal twist on everyday subjects, using nature imagery to evoke the weird intensity of all-consuming passions.” —Spin Magazine
“There's a burnt beauty to Honey Moon – something akin to Mark Twain re-written by Edgar Allan Poe – that exerts a deliciously morbid pull on the imagination and the emotions. Satisfaction is guaranteed.”—Michael Quinn, BBC
Speck Mountain - Some Sweet Relief
"4.5/5 Stars—Pulsating electric guitar riffs, creepy organ chords, and campfire-style backing harmonies round out each track, practically compelling the listener to lay back, turn out the lights, and stay awake until the last note fades. "—Venus Zine
"At times haunting, at times warm and breezy, there is a dream-like ambiance that permeates the collection."—Glide Magazine
"...dreamy, impressionistic, and ambient. Like sunlight shining through a gauzy curtain, Balabanian's rich vocals are simultaneously hazy, distant and piercing."—NPR
The Bitter Tears - Jam Tarts In The Jakehouse
"...making Jam Tarts in the Jakehouse frighteningly difficult to pull from the stereo.” —PopMatters
"Paired with severely cryptic lyrics, brass and woodwind sounds emitted from old, partially worn-out instruments and a fishy concoction of melodious music, Jam Tarts in the Jakehouse, is a creatively convicting album." —Bryan Sanchez, Adequacy
“Despite a dizzying array of instrumentation, what The Bitter Tears do so well, is keep it simple. The arrangements are pretty basic, which has to be applauded. They take these bare bones, and dress them with string sections, and parps of brass. More often than not they come up with something that at times borders on the magical.”—MusicOMH
Press Continues, With Pictures...
The Handsome Family - Honey Moon
“Melodies unfold with matter-of-fact grace.” —Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune
“Yet another terrific chapter in a book that I hope these guys never finish...The songs on Honey Moon are just as gorgeously haunting as anything they have done previously.” —Tim Hinely, Blurt
"Honey Moon blends the baroque with spectral, old-time country atmospherics and shades of bluegrass and ragtime.”—Idio Magazine
“Brett’s baritone is so low it sounds like the earth rumbling, and it gives every tune an oracular presence that’s amply backed up by Rennie’s mystifying lyrics, which meld poetic impulses and everyday language with an effortless grace.”—J. Poet, Crawdaddy
Get a glimpse of Brett and Rennie’s view of Romanticism on 77 Square.
Speck Mountain - Some Sweet Relief
“Behind her versatile and devastating voice, Balabanian and bandmate Karl Briedrick craft beautiful soundscapes that spread wide and deep." —Prefix Magazine
“Speck Mountain appeals to the surreal - one could imagine listening to this album in a wildly painted room filled with soft pillows and swirling, colorful lights. In a way, it’s an adequate replacement for drugs.”—FensePost
"Some Sweet Relief sounds somewhat timeless, a 40-minute offering of neo-psych gospel that's more polished, more promising, and altogether stronger than most of the band's contemporaries.” —Andrew Leahey, Allmusic
“Some Sweet Relief, is atmospheric, sexy, headphone hypnotica”—The OCMD
Listen to Speck Mountain on Breakthruradio.
The Bitter Tears - Jam Tarts In The Jakehouse
"Striking a nice balance between stronger and softer sounds, Jam Tarts in the Jakehouse never really crosses the line into either, staying in the middle with a strong enough backbone to keep things steady and interesting."—Lowdown
"Chicago's The Bitter Tears are a truly extraordinary group of musicians that one must experience in the live concert setting to truly appreciate the in-your-face absurdity and pure drama that their rambling catchy dada cabaret has to offer."—A Thousand Ears
"A band like none other, the Bitter Tears are theatrical and totally over the top—and consider that a good thing...the band is a twisted backwoods freak show whose music ranges from country to big band to the avant garde.” —Artvoice
“This is art rock, pure and simple; Harmonious enough to catch you, dissonant to almost lose you, and endearing enough that you’ll come back to hear it again. The Bitter Tears will disturb your senses, and you’ll like it.”—Wildy's World
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