Customer Reviews

Handsome

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It took me about a week of listening to fully get into this album - the guitar melodies are complex and at first discordant, the singing a little on the "whiney" side.
Now looking back I can't see how I could have ever thought that. I picked up this CD for 5 bucks ($NZ) about 6 years ago and it has pretty much never left its spot on top of my stereo - unless it was in my car. I still listen to it a few times every month.
I often search the net trying to find where these guys went after they broke up. Only Jeremy Chatelain seems to be around - in Jets to Brasil as bass player and solo as Cub Country. I'm quite gutted coz (despite me thinking him whiney at first - and I have low tolerance for whiney singers) he's actually one of my all time favourite vocalists. And Pete Hines drumming is amazing - I really want to find out where he's gone after Handsome.
So far no luck; Jeremy's "wasting" his talent and the others disappeared. Anyone knows is Pete Hines has another band tell me, please!
Anyway to sum up my grovelling - this is probably one of my top 5 albums out of about 600 in my collection.

I am a self proclaimed music snob. It takes a lot for someone to release a disc I can listen to cover to cover so to speak. This one has the goods. If any of you out there loved "grunge" like I did, this is a must have.

As for the pity, it's a shame we'll never have any other material from these guys again. They could've been great.

...is that this band broke up. I've had this CD since it was basically new in 1997, after I heard of them through a Deftones web site. To this day, I still play this CD over and over. It's by far one of my favorites. I can't name the sound any better then another reviewer did, as "melodic hardcore". I highly recommend it, especially to Helmet fans. My only wish now is that I could get ahold of the few unreleased songs I've heard of.

In my opinion, whenever Tom Capone is involved it's always good. Bold, Quicksand and Instruction showcase his brilliant guitar playing. Handsome is no exception, this is a really a good album all the way through. But Capone is not alone on this one N.Y. Hardcore veterans Peter Mengede(Helmet) and Pete Hines(Murphy's Law, Cro-Mags) are in the fold and together they write compelling, well structured anthems that bands today only wish they can write. What more can you ask for. The only bad thing about Handsome is, this is their only release.

This one and only Handsome album is in my eyes one of the greatest albums ever recorded. If you even remotely like Quicksand, Helmet or any of the of the many other NY Hardcore bands of the 90's you will love this cd. Every song just absolutely crushes the next. This is the one album that I never get tired of listening to (and I've had it since '98). I'm just sad to see that Handsome never put out any other albums after this and that none of the members went on to do anything as good as this. So basically: BUY/DOWNLOAD/STEAL THIS ALBUM. You won't be disappointed.

I love this CD! I think the combination of musicians in this band read as a who's who of NYC hardcore; Pete Hines(Murphy's Law, Cro-Mags), Peter Mengede(Helmet), Tom Capone(Quicksand). I guess this was just a natural progression for a group of guys who literally grew up in the NYHC scene. If I had to label Handsome's sound, I'd have to call it melodic hardcore; heavy guitars, an aggressive rythym section and real singing, as opposed to the usual growling or screaming(which I still think is very cool). It's a shame they're no longer a band, I thought they had real potential to become something really special. Well, at least we've got this one CD, that in my opinion is destined to become something of a classic.

This is one of those rare albums that is devoid of filler and rocks the whole way through. When I listen to this album I go to another place altogether. I was a fan of Quicksand and sometimes of Helmet, so when I heard about these guys I had to buy it. "Dim The Lights" is one of the greatest songs of all times. Buy this or be sorry.

This cd is probably one the best things to come out of the 90's. Completely awesome and very hard to find so I was stoked to see it here on Amazon! Best purchase I have made music wise in years!

Handsome contains ex-members of Quicksand and puts out a similiar sound but with different style vocals. I'll admit you either love or hate the singer...sample the album before you buy it.

Another great ex-Quicksand band is THE INSTITUE....

Characteristically void of any blatent guitar solos but making up for it with time changes, interesting lyrics, and a tight sound, Handsome just blew me away when I first listened. This was the type of music that I had been longing for and finally found. It's true that the musicianship by itself isn't all that great but with riffs this phat nothing more is needed! The songs rock with so much intensity that even the not so catchy ones begin to grow on you quickly and when the slower songs come along, the heavy guitars remain intact and just add to all the crunch and impact.

Hard and Heavy!

Highly recommended