UNDERNEATHICA: Get Yer Duke Spirit

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Get Yer Duke Spirit

February 4th is the release date for Neptune, the second album by the Duke Spirit. I think the Duke Spirit is one of the best bands to emerge in the last five years. The band's sound blends the influences of the Jesus and Mary Chain, shoegaze, and classic rock of the late 1960's (e.g., the Jefferson Airplane, the Velvet Underground, and the Stones, circa Let It Bleed).

The Duke Spirit recently appeared on Rare FM to perform several of their new songs. Here's an acoustic version of Lassoo, one of the tracks on Neptune.

While they have only one other album to their name, the band has released a number of worthwhile EP's. Last year, the Duke Spirit released a four song EP called Ex Voto. Two of the songs will be included on the forthcoming album. Here's one of the non-LP tracks, a great rocker called A Wild Hope. The blog Pampelmoose recently posted the other non-LP song, "Masca".

Here's the band playing one of their best older songs, Love Is an Unfamiliar Name, live on KEXP. Hopefully they will come back to the States for a tour this year. They sound like a great live band.

6 Comments:

At 1/18/2008 12:42 AM , 2fs said...: That "Wild Hope" link appears to be "Insects" by Osaka Popstar - which I think you'd posted sometime back (at any rate it sounded familiar).

???
At 1/18/2008 7:19 AM , jonder said...: Fixed it -- thanks!
At 2/04/2008 5:22 PM , Anonymous said...: Belated Duke Spirit comment, cuz I just heard Neptune today: wow! I really like this band. The singer makes me want to bleach my hair, and that is saying something, cuz I am an awesome brunette.
At 2/05/2008 7:21 AM , jonder said...: I'm so glad you like them, Paula. Maybe I will come to NYC this spring and we can go see them. If you will bleach your brunette tresses, I will dye my locks of salt and pepper.
At 2/05/2008 10:54 PM , Unknown said...: They are playing at my favorite club in Brooklyn on Valentine's Day! I am so gonna go! However I have sold my tresses to buy you a watch fob! But I couldn't find a fob I liked, so I bought you a Starbucks gift card!
At 3/04/2008 4:08 AM , Jeremy Frye said...: FYI: The Duke Spirit are opening for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in Athens on Wednesday, April 23 at The 40 Watt Club.