Review Summary: A surprisingly upbeat record that does not lose any crunch
Unfortunately for
Handsome, they never lasted long. The supergroup, containing members from legendary acts such as
Quicksand and
Helmet, only existed long enough to release one full-length record before quickly fading to obscurity. Its a shame, because they were actually quite good.
Now that I think about it, “Handsome” is perhaps the most fitting name for a band like this: this is a charming record. The guitars are crunchy, and the bass is very thick, but there’s this overall warm and poppy vibe to the record that makes it pretty uplifting to listen to. Jeremy Chatelain’s vocals are incredibly youthful and passionate; you can really tell that he was having the time of his life when recording this record. Hell, the whole band does.
“Left Of Heaven” tricks you with a very boring first minute, sounding dull and uninspired at first, however, when that chorus kicks in, it
kicks in. The guitars practically mold together, forming a cathartic, inspiring wall of power chords backed up with Chatelain’s soaring voice. What’s so great about the record instrumentally is how well the band works with each other, in “Thrown Away”, Tom Capone and Peter Mengede create a messy riff that tumbles over Eddie Nappi’s thudding bass, however they still manage to pull it off without sounding completely out-of-sync, probably due to Pete Hines’ beautifully constructed drumming.
Although this record has it’s fair share of dull tracks, it is still a good start for a project that was sadly never meant to be. However, at a mere forty minutes, it is still a really good listen. Handsome made an album that was accessible and very fun to listen to, making it a very entertaining listen.
