The Handsome Family have revealed their trippy new video for “Octopus”, directed by Katie Capuza and taken from their latest album, Wilderness, which marks Brett & Rennie Sparks’ 20 years together as a band.
Rennie Sparks also appeared on Simple Folk Radio back in May sharing some of her favourite records whilst getting to the root of why we all love murder ballads so very much. Have a listen to that show again below:
“To enjoy a murder ballad you have to be willing to see it as art and not newspaper reporting. These songs are about life and lust not about death and dust. They make your heart beat fast and your skin flush. They are, perhaps, the remnants of ancient pre-Christian blood/sex rituals and are designed to make you want to roll in fields of blooming heather, not to become the next Ted Bundy. Here are some of The Handsome Family’s favourite examples of this centuries-old form of nature-worship” – Rennie Sparks, The Handsome Family
SFR #284 – Murder Ballad Special, with Rennie Sparks from The Handsome Family. broadcast 12.05.13 by Simple Folk Radio on Mixcloud
Buy Wildeness: Amazon