Record Reviews: Elvis Perkins In Dearland, Julie Doiron, Handsome Furs

In case you have not yet heard, Detour has been revamped, relaunched and is back in the game. That game being Chutes and Ladders. Detour will be spinning a numbered wheel and subsequently climbing precariously placed ladders and zooming down attached-to-nothing slides that would give any OSHA representative a heart attack. Detour understands that if, when nearing the 100th square, it overshoots by spinning a number greater than that of the remaining number of squares on the board, Detour loses a turn and will have to keep spinning until they land on 100. So in other words, I'm hoping to help them keep spinning until they land on 100. I am sure you understand.

I love the new Detour look and expanded content and I'm happy to be able to write some stuff for them. Today marks the first "Detour New Music Guide" which will go up every Tuesday. It's a little scaled down this week, but will eventually be 12 reviews for your reading and listening pleasure. I'll be reviewing three records a week. This week I chose Elvis Perkins In Dearland, Julie Doiron and Handsome Furs. I liked all three of these records, but particularly the Elvis Perkins. That one was a pleasant surprise and I highly recommend it. Fans of Langhorne Slim, Avett Brothers, and other such "alt-country" mish-mash should be fond of it.

Also, as good as the record is, am I the only person that really dislikes the Handsome Furs album cover? If your friend showed that to you and said, "Hey - here's the mock up of my band's new EP - do you like it?" I would hope your answer would be as honest as your friendship is strong. For instance, if it's a really good friend, you might say, "Wow. Is that your only copy?" When they said "Yes. It is," because they obviously bypassed technology and did it with scissors and paste like a collage one might make at a senior center, you would grab it out of their hand and, panicking, stuff it into your mouth, chewing furiously. They will look on, shocked into inaction by their horror and surprise. You will then spit it on the ground and say, "I'm sorry - I did this because I love you." If they're not that good of a friend, just say, "Yes. Nice mock up." Because who cares about their stupid band anyway?