Handsome Family, The – “Drunk By Noon ” – [Carrot Top Records]

On this 2008 7″ single from the Handsome Family (husband and wife duo of Brett and Rennie Sparks) we get some lovely country tunes, with a dark edge. Recorded in their home studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico, “Drunk by Noon” is a wonderful cowboy tune from their 1996 album “Milk and Scissors.” Its dour subject matter (beautifully written lyrics by Rennie) leaves the listener pondering inebriation, cancer, and mortality. (We actually have this track in our library on a “Little Darla” compilation, as well as a Sally Timms cover of it).

“Drunk by Noon” is a bit more upbeat and poppier (with male and female vocals) than the “AA” side’s “The Blizzard,” which is a cover of a 1964 Jim Reeves song.

“The Blizzard” is a heart-wrenching, depressing tale about a finding a man frozen on the plains “just 100 yards from Mary Anne.” You can hear the wind blowing, and sense the sadness of the lonesome, snowy trail and a lost love.