Last Days of Wonder

Last Days of Wonder
Studio album by
the Handsome Family
Released2006
Length43:23
LabelCarrot Top / Loose Music
The Handsome Family chronology
Singing Bones
(2003)		 Last Days of Wonder
(2006)		 Honey Moon
(2009)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubA−
Pitchfork Media6.7/10
Robert ChristgauA−
Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStar

Last Days of Wonder is the seventh studio album by the Handsome Family. It was released 2006 by Carrot Top Records (North America) / Loose Music (Europe). The title is a reference to Puritan scientist and witch-hunter Cotton Mather's 1693 book Wonders of the Invisible World, which lyricist Rennie Sparks found intriguing because of what she called its "madness brimming under the surface of things."

Reception

The album was well received by critics: according to Metacritic, the album has received an average review score of 80/100, based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Critic Robert Christgau wrote, "At her best—which must not come easy, or they'd release more and more consistent albums—Rennie Sparks is a great American realist." The A.V. Club's Christopher Bahn said that "the Sparks don't seem particularly interested in experimenting with new musical styles, but that isn't a weakness so much as an unswerving fix on what they do better than anyone else."

Track listing

  1. "Your Great Journey" – 3:13
  2. "Tesla's Hotel Room" – 3:56
  3. "These Golden Jewels" – 3:32
  4. "After We Shot The Grizzly" – 3:33
  5. "Flapping Your Broken Wings" – 3:45
  6. "Beautiful William" – 4:22
  7. "All The Time In Airports" – 3:43
  8. "White Lights" – 3:36
  9. "Bowling Alley Bar" – 2:52
  10. "Hunter Green" - 4:29
  11. "Our Blue Sky" - 2:59
  12. "Somewhere Else To Be" - 3:23

Personnel

Source:

The Handsome Family

with:

Technical

References

  1. 1 2 "Last Days of Wonder Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Bahn, Christopher (July 5, 2006). "Review: The Handsome Family, Last Days Of Wonder". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  3. ↑ "The Handsome Family: Last Days of Wonder". Pitchfork.
  4. 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "The Handsome Family". Robert Christgau. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  5. ↑ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1637. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  6. ↑ Bahn, Christopher (February 8, 2006). "Interview: Brett and Rennie Sparks of The Handsome Family". A.V. Club. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  7. ↑ cf. Brett & Rennie Sparks (2006): Credits. In Last Days Of Wonder [CD booklet]. Chicago: Carrot Top Records.