The Duke Spirit - Neptune (You Are Here)
3/5
By: Michael Cragg
Neptune, the second album from British five piece The Duke Spirit, is a watery affair. Not only is the title a reference to the Greek God of the sea, but nearly every song makes some kind of nod to all things nautical. Ironically, the album was recorded in the middle of nowhere at the legendary Rancho de la Luna studio in the deserts of Southern California and clearly the lack of water and parched wasteland of their surroundings had little effect on their lyrics. Musically, however, they benefited from the production skills of stoner rock aficionado Chris Goss whose previous credits include Kyuss, Queens of The Stone Age and more recently dance outfit UNKLE, with whom The Duke Spirit collaborated in the summer of last year.
Goss adds weight to the band's somewhat thin musical frame, utilising horns to great effect on 'Lassoo' and rumbling percussion on the brilliant 'Dog Roses'. Elsewhere 'My Sunken Treasure' eschews the scuzzy cul-de-sac of 2005's debut 'Cuts Across The Land' with glorious '60s-esque piano and wall of sound drums. They haven't forgotten how to raise pulses however, as shown on 'You Really Wake Up The Love In Me' and 'Send A Little Love Token', singer Liela Moss' unique voice (part cockney sparrow, part Scandinavian minstrel) wrapping itself around a deluge of lyrics during the latter.
Unfortunately, not all the songs are able to sustain your full attention and the band can come across not as underrated, as many have claimed, but uninspired. 'Wooden Heart' for example is too long at four minutes and seems longer, and 'Neptune's Call' is a PJ Harvey pastiche too far. But on the whole 'Neptune' is a solid album made by a solid band, it's just that sometimes you long for a bit more.
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