The Duke Spirit

UK band The Duke Spirit play a tough and lush bluesy rock. They lay down some dirty grooves that invoke The Velvet Underground and early Blondie.

There are a lot of similar rock bands out there right now, but it is the husky British warble of singer Liela Moss that takes them a cut above the rest. The first thing you’ll hear is that she sounds a lot like PJ Harvey, but I also hear touches of Nico, Martina Topley-Bird and even Jim Morrison.

Their debut album Cuts Across The Land produced by Flood and former Cocteau Twins leader Simone Raymond was released this May, but as far as I can tell, they haven’t yet made it to the states. They seem like they put on a great live show though. They have the looseness of a great garage band, but the inventiveness of an art rock band. It’s nice when bands have enough talent to be able to loosen up a bit and play purposefully out of tune, slightly off beat. It humanizes them and creates a more intimate and visceral experience. Imagine if similar bands like Garbage had the confidence to do such a thing and cast off their current over-produced sound.

Check out their songs and videos on their website, especially the jangley "Lion RIP" and "Red Weather" which ends with a piece of beautiful crunchy noise.

Their album is out now on Loog Records, which is also home to The Bravery, Soledad Brothers and some other rockers worth checking out.

And if none of this has convinced you so far, check out The Duke Spirit’s gorgeous new video for the song "Cuts Across The Land" directed by Japanese animator Woof Wan Bau.