(Sub Pop)

www.subpop.com

From the moment the glitchy synths begin popping on opening track "Legal Tender," the Handsome Furs start writing the most idiosyncratic 8-bit love note ever composed on a synthesizer. Vague hints of ‘80s nostalgia peek around the corner of every song, skulking like a late night lover. "All We Want, Baby, is Everything" is perhaps the most simultaneously wistful and peppy song released so far in 2009, lifted by Bono-esque vocals, a Peter Hook bass line, and Jesus and Mary Chain-style distortion.

It's the type of nostalgia that's not unique but still performed with the type of earnestness normally reserved for John Hughes' movies. But the hyperactive angst that fills the album gets exhausting by the seventh track, and though Face Contro#'s danceability is never threatened, it is also requires massive amounts of stamina to maintain.

Standout Tracks: "Legal Tender" "All We Want, Baby, is Everything" BRIAN CREECH