Twilight

NME - 8 out of 10 - "...Their dark palette is so much more compelling than anything else out there today..." Q - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Timeless country folk songs that set the sparse but striking detail of a good short stroy to sneakily tenacious melodies..." No Depression - "...Gentler and less urgent than the previous THROUGH THE TREES, but still making a strong case for the Sparks' musical worth..." CMJ - "...A welcome addition to the Family..." Uncut - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 - "...Dark, dense, terrifying, invigorating....TWILIGHT reaffirms The Handsome Family's position atop the poisonous spire of alt.country's twisted high tower....Right now, there's no one better equipped to carry that weight..." Magnet - "...Brett is able to wrench consistently poigant and quaint music from his instruments, and Rennie consistently interesting and eerie imagery from her words..." Q (10/01, p.120) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Timeless country folk songs that set the sparse but striking detail of a good short stroy to sneakily tenacious melodies..." Uncut (11/01, p.100) - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 - "...Dark, dense, terrifying, invigorating....TWILIGHT reaffirms The Handsome Family's position atop the poisonous spire of alt.country's twisted high tower....Right now, there's no one better equipped to carry that weight..." Magnet (12-1/02, p.91) - "...Brett is able to wrench consistently poigant and quaint music from his instruments, and Rennie consistently interesting and eerie imagery from her words..." CMJ (10/8/01, p.17) - "...A welcome addition to the Family..." No Depression (11-12/01, p.124) - "...Gentler and less urgent than the previous THROUGH THE TREES, but still making a strong case for the Sparks' musical worth..." NME (Magazine) (9/29/01, p.64) - 8 out of 10 - "...Their dark palette is so much more compelling than anything else out there today..."

The fifth album from the husband-and-wife duo of Brett and Rennie Sparks continues the pair's poetically dramatic vignettes with a bit of added sparkle. Their music always bespoke a sort of bleak rural landscape, so it's not surprising that they've finally relocated from Chicago to the more open topography of Albuquerque, NM. Rennie's lyrics are linear narratives that focus on small details and generally eschew standard repetitive choruses for further forward motion in the unfolding tale. Brett's voice is so rich with low-end resonance that it lends a powerful component of gravity. There's a regal bearing to these country-tinged songs of complex emotions, presented in relatively simple and straightforward arrangements. The opening number, "The Snow White Diner," adds contemporary-sounding flourishes, with a pulsing beat lending modern urgency to another of the Handsome Family's many sad tales of death and loss.|