James Arden checks out the garage rockers latest album.
The Christian rock band from Brighton bring religion to the masses.
Recipe for modern R'n'B album: liberal helpings of guest rappers and an overdose of sexual euphemisms.
The general sound of The Ex Voto EP may not be entirely dissimilar to that of The Duke Spirit’s last album, but their summer spent in the Mojave desert and their extensive US tour seem to have brought them a new-found vitality, along with some interesting musical influences. Golden-haired and deep-voiced singer Liela Moss, after recent collaborations with The Jesus and Mary Chain and UNKLE, delivers her lines with her distinctive sensuous nonchalance, halfway between Nico and PJ Harvey. The rest of the band is as dynamic as ever, delivering a faultless rock ambience reminiscent of the Strokes, albeit tinged with a post-punk touch – and tambourines.
"Lassoo" is thrillingly danceable and makes a good use of trumpets (though it does sound sneakily similar to some of their past hits), "Dog Roses" is a slower, haunting blues melody, and the lyrics are an unusual but effective mix of indifference, mild misanthropy and absurdity. If the new album lives up to the verve and poise of this enigmatic EP, it’s set to be quite a ride.
3/5
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