Full of wonderful fuzz and lovely vocals, the Duke Spirit‘s Bruiser begins with the rock solid “Cherry Tree,” a song about regret following a break-up. All the guitars on it surge with power as lead singer Liela Moss claims she doesn’t look back on the past with hope, but we all know otherwise. “Procession” flips the story a bit, with the former subject of Moss’ affections acting like he’s cool with everything, but her knowing that he’s on the verge of cracking at any moment. “Villain” has lovely piano and vocals by Moss while Oliver Betts puts down beats that are harder than you realize at first. The song’s about two people who know they’re probably bad for each other, but will most likely hook up regardless of that fact.
In case you haven’t guessed by now, the name of the album hints to the many songs on the record about the dangerous side of love, lust, and attraction. “Don’t Wait,” about the struggle to let go of someone after they’ve left (“Oh such a heavy love rolls out like a blanket. Why must it fold up on me?”) has that great mix of rock, shoegaze, and soul that the Duke Spirit do so well. Marc Sallis struts his bass stuff on “Surrender,” in which Moss sings that she just wants to surrender to a lover. Moss’ voice is already seductive enough, but it’s borderline devilish when she sings lyrics like “Oh the weather got worse , so you’ll have to stay here.”
“Bodies” has another slick Sallis groove that paves the way for shoegaze riffs from Luke Ford and Toby Butler. There’s a short piano breakdown in the middle that catches you off-guard before Betts and the rest wallop you upside the head. “Delux” has organ and glockenspiel that ticks like a music box and warnings from Moss to a lover to keep his eyes and hands on her instead of someone else.
“Sweet Bitter Sweet” seems to be about sex with lyrics like “I’m coming with you, for there’s nobody else,” but you can never be sure with Moss’ writing. She can be deceptive and her use of metaphor is top-notch. It’s sexy even if it isn’t about sex. I’d be a gibbering idiot if she sang this to me in a smoky bar. Well, I’d be a gibbering idiot if she just walked into a room with me, but that’s beside the point. In “Running Fire,” Moss tells a lover that he can chase a future he can never fully grasp or he can return to the moment (and her) and be much happier. Ford and Butler shred on “Everybody’s Under Your Spell” (which has a great burn-out / fade-out at the end.
“Northbound” has some of Betts’ best beats on the record while Moss sings about a bad day becoming a better day as she realizes she’s going to end it by seeing her lover. “Homecoming” has a similar theme, but Moss can’t help but wonder if her happiness is an illusion.
Love can be bruising, but bruises and scars are sometimes the remains of a hard-fought but worthy battle. Bruiser and the Duke Spirit show us that love is worth it. Love is the thing for which we should all fight. What else is there?
By the way, certain versions of this album have bonus remixes of “Procession” (by Gary Numan, no less), “Cherry Tree” (by SONOIO), “Bodies” (by Black Onassis), and “Don’t Wait” (by Loose Meat).
Keep your mind open.
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