Eccentric country duo the Handsome Family have another brilliant album due to drop shortly. Last Days Of Wonder will be released in the U.S. by Carrot Top on June 13 (in Europe it comes out May 29), and as the lucky holder of an advance copy, I assure you it is among the finest work in their already superlative catalog. Seriously. The disc opens with the lines “Like four million tons of hydrogen exploding on the sun/Like the whisper of the termites building castles in the dust.” (Note to lyricist Rennie Sparks: Why not “beetles building castles in the dung”? Or am I an imbecile who stoops to the obvious?) And Brett’s voice sounds especially mellifluous this time out, particularly on the three tracks featuring vocal harmonies by his brother Darrell.

What to do while you’re waiting for the release of this fine, fine album? Why not commission Rennie to paint a portrait of your pet? I’ve visited the Handsome Family homestead in Albuquerque, NM, and I can heartily endorse the high quality of the finished products—I mean, artwork.

Alternately, you might like to spend a few minutes perusing Rennie’s guest editorial contributions to this website of anonymous love letters.