Artist The Handsome Family

The Handsome Family is indeed a family: Husband and wife Brett and Rennie Sparks have been together for two decades. Musically, they’re American gothic in the best sense of the term. Brett’s deep, rumbling vocals and often-gloomy alt-country melodies are a near-perfect match for Rennie’s surreal, dark, and literary lyrics. The couple took a slightly different tack on 2009's Honey Moon, a set of love songs that steer clear of the murder ballads that pepper earlier albums. Which is not to say the duo has turned its back on its twisted past, as evidenced by the new Scattered: A Further Collection Of Lost Demos, Orphaned Songs And Odd Covers, available at the Handsome Family’s website and tour stops.

Updated 06/01/2010