Duke Spirit – 7th Level Music

Top 40 albums of 2016 – 2020: #’s 20 – 16

We’re halfway through the list, and the decision of what to include gets tougher with each post. This one includes two shoegaze surprises and a legend.

#20: Cosmonauts – A-OK! (2016)

I don’t remember where I first heard Cosmonauts, but I do remember being floored by the sound of this record. The sunny, southern California shoegaze riffs and power these lads put out was nothing short of stunning. The themes of boredom, lost love and youth, and growing tired of hipsters were deftly handled and backed with a trippy sound that’s not easy to make.

#19: Hum – Inlet (2020)

Easily the best surprise of 2020, these Chicagoland shoegaze giants dropped Inlet on an unsuspecting, but wildly grateful, public and immediately became the talk of the music industry – again. It proved that they never lost anything – chops, power, influence, mystery. Let’s hope they get to tour in 2021, because they deserve sell-out shows.

#18: All Them Witches – Sleeping Through the War (2017)

Speaking of power, All Them Witches are brimming with it, and this album was like chugging psychedelic tea mixed with Red Bull. At times blistering with fury and other times a bluesy, swampy mind trip, Sleeping Through the War deals with disconnection, celebrity worship, invasive technology, and, as always with ATW, mysticism.

#17: The Duke Spirit – Kin (2016)

Kin was another surprise release. It wasn’t a surprise that The Duke Spirit put out a new record. The surprise was that, instead of their heavy, sexy, blues-influenced rock, the band put out one of the best shoegaze records of 2016. They metamorphosed like a caterpillar and emerged into something new that somehow thrilled me more than they already had done.

#16: Gary Numan – Savage (Songs from a Broken World) (2017)

The legend I mentioned at the beginning of this post? It’s Gary Numan, and Savage (Songs from a Broken World) was a great return for him. This album brims with power as hard as the post-apocalyptic landscape portrayed on the cover and in the lyrics. Numan wasn’t messing around (nor does he ever) with this record, tackling climate change, fascism, mania, despair, and dread with massive synth riffs, knock-down drums, and pure force. I was lucky to catch him at the Chicago stop on this tour and it was one of the best shows I’d seen in a while.

Next up we have dance-punk, live doom metal, stunning psychedelic jams, an EP from a band that broke up just as they were becoming popular, and an improvised instrumental record.

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe while you’re here?]

Rewind Review: The Duke Spirit – Bruiser (2011)

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.

[Surrender to your desire to subscribe.]

The Duke Spirit – Sky Is Mine

How do you follow up one of the best shoegaze records of 2016? Well, if you’re the Duke Spirit, you do it by releasing a deeply introspective record called Sky Is Mine, which keeps some of the shoegaze elements of Kin, but also ups the dream-pop. Lead singer Liela Moss was pregnant during the recording of Sky Is Mine, and she’s admitted in interviews that carrying a new life definitely influenced her songwriting for this record.

It begins with “Magenta,” a one-two punch of fuzzed out guitars and Moss’ echoing siren-like vocals. “Who knows where the heart goes?” she asks, wondering how far love can reach when one is separated from a lover. “Bones of Proof” is proof that Ms. Moss is one of the best vocalists of her generation. She has a way of making a song sexy, sad, and slightly scary all at the same time. “Go now and seek the truth, you’ll know it when the bones of proof press against your body warm, the skin, the form, the idea born,” she sings, and you can’t help but think she wrote those lyrics while pregnant. The guitar in this is like a gentle buzzsaw. I know that’s an odd description, but you’ll understand once you hear it.

“See Power” moves from dream-pop verses to bold shoegaze choruses and back again like, well, waves of the sea. The heavy bass of “In Breath” mixes with ghostly guitars and hints of Celtic magic. “Houses” has Moss’ reverbed vocals bouncing off each other as the band churns out a solid shoegaze groove behind her. “How Could, How Come” is the stuff of dream-pop dreams and possibly a lost Cowboy Junkies track.

“Yo Yo” has wicked beats and sneaky, tricky guitars throughout it as Moss sings about (in my opinion, at least) staying in the present despite outside forces constantly pulling us back and forth. “The Contaminant” is textbook shoegaze, and the closer, “Broken Dreams,” wraps around you like a warm fog with Moss’ lyrics about peaceful patience and hypnotizing percussion.

This album doesn’t rock as hard as previous Duke Spirit albums like Neptune or Kin, but that’s okay. It’s the band’s further exploration of dreamscapes. It’s ideal for wandering, sitting, and looking up at the night sky, which is mine, theirs, yours, and ours.

Keep your mind open.

[Who knows where the subscription box is? You do. It’s to your left.]

My top 25 albums of 2016 – #’s 15-11

We’re halfway to #1 on the countdown!

#15

The Kills released a great album for their 15th anniversary. Ash & Ice oozes with their sweaty, smoky, whiskey-tinged rock and is one of the best albums about love and sex from 2016.

#14

I didn’t expect a full record of shoegaze from the Duke Spirit, but Kin is the best shoegaze record I’ve heard all year (and probably of the last two or three years).

#13

All Them Witches released a live album last year (which I still need to get), teased a new album for this year, and started 2016 with Dying Surfer Meets His Maker – a great blend of stoner metal and blues voodoo rock.

#12

Comacozer contacted me through this website and asked if I’d like to hear their record. I’m glad I said yes, because this stoner metal album, Astra Planeta, is amazing.

#11

The KVB make excellent dark wave and shoegaze. It’s a bit difficult to believe at first that just two people produce that much sound. Of Desire was recorded on vintage synthesizers and sequencers, and the rich sound produced is excellent.

Who’s made it into my top 10 for 2016? Come back tomorrow to find out!

Keep your mind open.

[Stay lush with us. Subscribe.]

My top 10 albums of 2016 so far.

It’s been a good year so far for music. I’m finding excellent stuff every month. We’re halfway through the year, so here’s a quick recap of my top 10 records of 2016 so far.

David Bowie – Blackstar: A powerful way to end one’s career, let along a legendary life.
The Besnard Lakes – A Coliseum Complex Museum: It’s still the most lush, beautiful record I’ve heard so far this year.
Night Beats – Who Sold My Generation: This band gets better with each record, and this one is a tour de force.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity: Easily the craziest record of the year so far. You can play it on an infinite loop beginning with any track and it will repeat without any noticeable pauses, stutters, or breaks.
WALL – self-titled EP: WALL are currently my favorite discovery of 2016. They’ve brought back a fierce post-punk edginess that I didn’t know I was yearning for until I heard them.
Underworld – Barbara, Barbara, We Face a Shining Future: This record is so good that it might go higher on my Best of 2016 list by the end of the year. It’s a fabulous return for the band and wonderfully optimistic.
Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool: One word to describe this record – Heartbreaking. Most of the songs are about the end of Thom Yorke’s 20+ year relationship with his girlfriend.
All Them Witches – Dying Surfer Meets His Maker: This is simply a great rock record. No muss, no fuss.
The Duke Spirit – Kin: I’m so happy they’re back and even happier that they’ve put out the best shoegaze record of the year so far.
Golden Dawn Arkestra – Stargazer: Pure cosmic funk that can induce dancing in even the grumpiest of grumps.

Keep your mind open.

[You’d be one of our besties if you subscribed to us.]

The Duke Spirit – Kin

The Duke Spirit (Oliver “Olly” Betts – drums, Toby Butler – guitar, Luke Ford – guitar, Rich Fownes – bass, Liela Moss – vocals) is among my favorite bands. I love their blend of rock, soul, and psychedelia. I expected their newest album, Kin, to be much like their previous releases and settled in to listen to a good rock album.

What I got was what could be the best shoegaze album of 2016.

I never expected the Duke Spirit to embrace shoegaze so deeply. There were shoegaze touches on previous records, of course, but the album’s opener, “Blue and Yellow Light,” announces right away that Kin will be a dreamy, fuzzy, reverbed goldmine. The guitars in “Blue and Yellow Light” open like a blooming rose and then Lelia Moss’ layered vocals swirl around you like a pair of honeybees. It’s a stunning opening, and “Sonar” continues the shoegaze trend. It sounds like something you might hear from Atlantis (wavy vocals and rolling drums). “Wounded Wing” is simple and lovely and a fine showcase of Lelia Moss’ vocal work. The band keeps it calm with crisp cymbal work, soothing piano chords, and guitars you’d hear playing in a Windsor McCay comic.

“Hands” brings the rock you’re used to with the Duke Spirit, but it still keeps the shoegaze edge, which is fine by me. The first single, “Here Comes the Vapour,” is psychedelic joy with echoed vocals in the chorus, spaced-out drums, vapor-like bass licks, and guitar that slides into the room like sunlight through Venetian blinds.

I’m fairly certain someone’s playing a saw throughout “Pacific.” If it’s not a saw, it’s a Theremin. Either way, it’s great. It’s a sweet song about finding love in the simplest moments. The groove of “Anola” is in your head within seconds and you find yourself nodding along to it throughout the whole track. Betts’ drums are like a march and Moss’ vocals glide around like a hawk watching a mouse in a field.

“Side by Side” is, for lack of a better term, “classic” Duke Spirit with chugging rock guitar by Butler and Ford while Moss rocks the mic and Betts beats his kit like it owes him money. “100 Horses Run” starts off like a John Carpenter movie score track, and Moss’ haunting vocals keep it on the edge of scary. “Follow” is another beautiful love song – the type that the Duke Spirit does so well. The guys create a gorgeous soundscape while Moss’ vocals hypnotize the listener.

This album is a great return for the Duke Spirit after a five-year hiatus. I hope the next one doesn’t take as long, but it will be worth the wait if it’s as good as Kin.

Keep your mind open.

[It would raise our spirits if you subscribed to us.]

A gift from the Duke Spirit.

It pays to pledge your support.

I discovered earlier this year that one of my favorite bands, The Duke Spirit, had a PledgeMusic campaign to support their new album, Kin (review coming soon). Apart from buying a digital download or physical copy of the record, they had other fun perks such as guitars, drums, one-of-a-kind notebooks handmade by lead singer Liela Moss, and lyric sheets hand-written by Ms. Moss. The notebooks were sold out, but I was happy to discover the lyric sheets were not and also at a stunningly affordable price.

This arrived in the mail yesterday.

I must admit that I hesitated to open it, because I knew the song I had chosen. It was the title track off the Duke Spirit’s first album – “Cuts Across the Land.”

You ask why I hesitated to open something I’d bought, had shipped from England, and eagerly awaited to frame and hang on my wall? It’s because “Cuts Across the Land” nearly made me weep when I first heard it. It’s not because the song is maudlin or reminds me of a past relationship or the loss of a loved one. It’s because the song is so damned good it almost made me cry.

I’m fairly certain I first heard “Cuts Across the Land” on the greatest radio station on Earth – BBC 6 Music. I remember that I stopped doing whatever I was doing at the moment and just listened. I was transfixed. It was perfect mindfulness. I realized after the first chorus that I was misty-eyed. I thought, “Where has this band been my whole life?”

So I got misty again when I opened this and read it. I will always treasure this because it is not only something made by one of my favorite bands, but it reminds me of how music can move us and take us out of the ordinary.

Keep your mind open.

[It pays to subscribe. Drop us your e-mail and you’ll get new posts sent to your inbox.]

Rewind Review: The Duke Spirit – Neptune (2008)

I first heard The Duke Spirit (Liela Moss – vocals, keys, percussion, Toby Butler – bass, Luke Ford – guitars, Daniel Higgins – guitars, organ, Olly Betts – drums) on BBC 6 Music (the greatest radio station in the world) somewhere around 2010 when they played the title track from the Duke Spirit’s 2005 debut album Cuts Across the Land. I nearly wept and thought, “Where has this band been my whole life?”

I found their 2008 release, Neptune, in a bargain CD bin at a Bloomington, Indiana wrecka stow. It opens with a brief hymn that repeats the lines “I do believe in something you know.” You can take that a couple different ways: Either Moss is telling us she has faith in something we know as truth; or she’s defiantly telling someone, perhaps us, that she has faith despite what we might believe.

The first full track, “Send a Little Love Token,” sums up everything I love about the band: Powerful vocals that evoke Patti Smith, hammering piano, big drums, and shoegaze guitar. “The Step and the Whale” is about Moss realizing too late that she’s sabotaged a relationship. It’s a sharp song for her voice, Butler’s bass sounds like something from an old Cure record, and the rest of the band puts down stuff the Jesus and Mary Chain would envy.

“Dog Roses” might be Moss remembering why she sabotaged the relationship and remembering that it was a good idea after all: “I hope you stay in charge of your mouth…When nothing’s fluid you drink yourself through it. Outside you chalk-draw yourself.” “Into the Fold,” a good rocker, is about rebuilding a relationship (“This heart could heal, if you had courage just to say what you feel.”).

“This Ship Was Built to Last” is a combination sea shanty and shoegaze track. Trust me, it works. The combination of the distorted, echoing guitar (especially after the epic bridge), Moss’ chanting vocals, and coxswain drumming is excellent.

Someone must’ve pissed off Moss when she wrote “Wooden Heart,” because it’s a searing diatribe against a former lover, but delivered with a torch song blues feel. “I would understand your heart if I could feel it,” she sings as guitars reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine riffs snake around her.

She’s not angry in “You Really Wake Up the Love in Me.” Quite the opposite, actually. “You taste so good today you’d get love from anyone,” she sings as Betts puts down some of his best licks on the record and the guitars go into full psychedelic madness by the end. “My Sunken Treasure” is borderline power pop. “Lassoo,” with its nice horn section, is the excellent power rock the Duke Spirit does so well, combining fierce vocals with raw rock instrumentation. It continues with “Neptune’s Call,” in which Moss is feeling frisky again (“I tasted the salt on you. Now I have a tongue tattoo.”). The closer, “Sovereign,” is almost a lullaby.

The Duke Spirit have a new album, Kin, due out later this year. I look forward to it. The first three released tracks are a nice blend of their styles: shoegaze, soul, rock. Neptune picks up where Cuts Across the Land left off, and the band is still moving forward.

Keep your mind open.

[Be of good spirit and subscribe to us, won’t you?]