Sound Kapital

With indie rock heroes Wolf Parade on indefinite hiatus, their lanky, co-songwriting guitarist Dan Boeckner made his one-time side gig Handsome Furs a full time priority, to the delight of electro-punk fans. Since 2009's rock solid Face Control, the Furs' hardcore punk-meets-synth junkie sound has been co-opted by flavor-of-the-week types Sleigh Bells and Cults: the results are often just as energized, but usually lack the Furs' staying power. Teamed with wife and author Alexei Perry, Boeckner once again proves he can throw one banger of an indie-electro party, even without weirdo pals like Spencer Krug around. The duo's third LP leaves behind much of Face Control's Springsteen-gone-electro vibe, and picks up the slack with pummeling synthesizer, sometimes in the vein of giddy air raid sirens, sometimes of a more distorted Crystal Castles style. Lyrically, the couple continues to find inspiration in their travels: where Face Control was heavily influenced by a stay in Russia, musings from a recent romp through Southeast Asia can be found throughout Sound Kapital. Despite the shift in tone, Boeckner's amiable songwriting style has hardly changed; crank the charismatic "Memories of the Future", drift away for awhile, and you could very well find yourself humming Wolf Parade's "Shine a Light."