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Together they've embraced more experience and experimentation for captivating results. [Winter 2009, p.100]

NOW Magazine

There’s no denying the chemistry between these two; it throbs all over their impressive new disc.

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Spin

Face Control's programmed electronics, in fact, ring deeply human, and Boeckner's tortured vocals express shared experience rather than alienation.

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Blender

Face Control is a small triumph of intoxicating claustrophobia, full of crumbling, poignant melodies spurred along by thecold, unfeeling whip-crack of a cheap drum machine.

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Prefix Magazine

There’s an emotional heft here that wasn’t present before.

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Hartford Courant

It's a smarmy affair, and there's a compelling interplay between his wild-eyed desperation and her cool, clean sheen of thumps and melodies.

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Pitchfork

Lyrical inscrutability peppered with the occasional waft of clarity has always been a Boeckner trademark, and Face Control continues that.

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Drowned In Sound

Face Control, the new record by Handsome Furs (Alexei Perry and Dan-from-Wolf-Parade), sounds like "Born in the USA," if the Boss had allowed a little more evil in the mix, and tried replicating Alan Vega’s demented yelps. Yeah, it’s THAT good...

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cokemachineglow

It is a step forward for an artist with a wealth of potential and a tremendously moving voice. Should he cease his overzealous grab for stylistic and thematic conventions--or perhaps if he simply learns to cover more ground--there’s a good chance Handsome Furs will reach a level of maturity and sophistication at which their current offering merely hints.

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PopMatters

Face Control does have at least a few things in common with a good poem: it’s a carefully crafted, modest, personal work that’s as much about purging the demons and anxieties that have been kicking around in the author’s dome as it is about creating something beautiful.

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All Music Guide

It's just a solid album, and just another example of Boeckner and Perry's tingling creative chemistry.

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Lost At Sea

An interesting listen, Face Control has an eerie vibe, as though something beneath the surface is just a bit off.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

They’ve just created a good version of a great record, which may have been their intention all along.

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Delusions of Adequacy

Through all of the missteps along the way, Face Control is a good album that with some more attention and ingenuity could have been so much better.

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Dusted Magazine

The album’s elements--large scale pop and tightly controlled electro--don’t always work together, but they come together on the very last track, 'Radio Kaliningrad.'

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Alternative Press

The net effect is unsettling distance, not pointed commentary. [Apor 2009, p.134]

Under The Radar

There simply aren't as many full-bodied, satisfying songs. [Winter 2009, p.72]

Slant Magazine

Fans of off-kilter pop will enjoy at least a few of the stronger cuts, but too much of Face Control sounds like the unfinished blueprint of a much better album.

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Rolling Stone

Happily, their latest album, Face Control--recorded after the duo stormed the clubs of Eastern Europe for inspiration--is a huge improvement.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

This is easily the most flavorless fruit yet to fall from the Wolf Parade family tree.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Brendan G gave it a9:
Maybe not their "deepest" work, but certainly the catchiest.

martin w gave it a10:
This record is fantastic. it sounds like bruce springsteen fronting J.U.S.T.I.C.E but erm...good.

Kyle M gave it a9:
This is the best thing Dan Boeckner has put his name on outside of the first Wolf Parade full length, no question.

Jack C gave it an8:
This is a good album. Lots of catchy melodies and the songs grow on ya. Love Dan's voice. I might prefer Plague Park just because of that album's first 3 songs and "sing captain," but this is really solid stuff. Fun too.

Fred R gave it a7:
Great vocals and good listening on the tracks that are delivered clean such as Officer of Hearts. When they clothe tracks in noisy smokey showgazey gauze like on Legal Tender their music degenerates into yawn.

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