Also available in a
2-disc Limited Edition
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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. Cuts Across The Land |
| 2. Stubborn Stitches |
| 3. Darling You're Mean |
| 4. Win Your Love |
| 5. Hello To The Floor |
| 6. Bottom Of The Sea |
| 7. Fades The Sun |
| 8. You Were Born Inside My Heart |
| 9. Lion Rip |
| 10. Lovetones |
| 11. Love Is An Unfamiliar Name |
| 12. Red Weather |
| 13. Dark Is Light Enough (UK Bonus Track) |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Cuts Across the Land, the debut album by The Duke Spirit, comes with no small amount of expectation, particularly after the release of their promising EP "Roll Spirit Roll" way back in 2003. And on the whole, Cuts Across the Land lives up to the hype. Rather than following the legions of British bands who seem desperate to sound like the Strokes, the Duke Spirit don’t look overseas for inspiration. It’s a raucous rock & roll album, displaying an energy that manages to stay on the good side of shambolic, lending songs like "Lion Rip" and "Love is an Unfamiliar Name" an excitement that’s reminiscent of classic 1960s British groups such as the Rolling Stones and the Faces. And like those bands, The Duke Spirit’s music is steeped in soul and the blues (right down to the occasional--and wholly appropriate--harmonica breaks). Liela Moss is a charismatic frontwoman, somewhere between Patti Smith and the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O, she practically embodies cool in her vocal style. It may seem a bit overlong, but Cuts Across the Land may just demonstrate that the future of British rock & roll lies in its past. --Robert Burrow
Review
Something separates The Duke Spirit from the crop of great British indie bands doing the rounds at the moment. Maybe it's the beautiful, Nico-esque singer, Leila Moss, who effortlessly looks like a bornrock temptress when, as far as she's concerned, is just playing in a band with some of her best mates.Maybe it's because they unfashionably buck the trend by sounding more like Exile-era Stones or a grimy Velvet Underground than a band from the early 80s. But what really separates them is that they consistently produce achingly hip music while their natural poise gives you the sneaking suspicion that they're not even trying.
Their influences are obvious (in fact they even list them all at their website in a 'Duke's Alphabet') the Stones, Sonic Youth and The Pixies all get a mention. Many comparisons are also sought with Moss' vocals, although she's generally placed in the heady company of Patti Smith and PJ Harvey.Capable of dealing snarling blows and delivering sweet mercy within a single breath, she is strident, self assured and utterly compelling.But not in a cocky way of course. Because after all, that just wouldn't be cool...
As for the songs, "Lion Rip" is the poppiest number, akin to Ash but with added drama, while the first verse of "Win Your Love" is a homage to PJ Harvey's 2004 single, "The Letter". However, there's plenty of evidence of the distinctive Spirit swagger. "Love Is An Unfamiliar Name" initially carries a deadpan statement over pounding drums then soars to a truly chaotic and breathless finale. "Darling You're Mean" is plaintive but then psychotic, like the band as a whole, it is somehow menacing and sensuous in equal measure.
Duke Spirit's appeal increases as each track portrays a band so inherently at ease with their music that you can't help but get drawn irresistibly in. Self proclaimed as 'the optimistic force in rock 'n' roll', they simply don't need affectations or devices to succeed. It might be hard to believe but godammit, this band are genuinely that cool. --Jack Smith
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It seems like (and is) years since the Duke Spirit hype machine rolled into action, but its taken until now to finally release a full length album. Thus, much of the content (Dark is Light Enough, Lion Rip and the fantastic title track) has already found its way into fans singles collections, along with B-Sides such as You were Born. The album remains essential however, with the double disc providing a particularly enticing glimplse at the fantastically raw live sound.
For those of you who do not know the Spirit (so to speak), its safe to say that theirs is a well trodden path of My Bloody Valentine feedback, but there is a clearly defined pop sensibility that sets them apart from morose plagarism. Leila shrieks and purrs in equal measures, whilst the thumping drum and bass cut right through layers of artfully constructed noise. At their best, the band provide hugely powerful and animalistic rock pump, with a live rawness that is translated very well into a fantastic debut album. There are flaws (there needs to be a little lyrical development here one feels, particularly on Lion Rip), but overall this is a confident and coherent bunch of songs from a very exciting British band. And Leila's beautiful.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
When I first heard about this band, I was initially put off by the way people seemed to be permanently referring to the 'Celtic' sound of the guitars, harmonies etc. When I finally listened to them I was completely surprsied because to me, hardly anything on this album sounds celtic. The opener, Medicine, is more post-punk than folk, and the only thing which can be connected to the folk tradition is the rhythm, a kind of guitar based stomp. But then, if you want to call music with a four four beat and loud guitars folk, then almost everything rock-based can be included. The singer has a great voice, she is loud, shouty, aggressive, almost soul in places, and the songs are short and never outstay their welcome. My problem with the album is that there is a lack of variation, a lot of the songs sound pretty similiar, but there are a handful of really good pop songs which thankfully do not feature bagpipes, penny whistles or any other form of Celtic instrumentation.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is an excellent debut from the Duke Spirit. It had been a work in progress for over a year and many of the songs have already been released on other formats. The songs are a noise-fest of guitars and pounding drums. With the beautiful Leila's vocals over the top they have a distinctive sound and while the record justs fails to match the energy of their fantastic live performances, this is simply an album full of really good songs. The bonus CD is also worth hearing with some fully produced demo tracks and live radio perfomances.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
buy it!
truly a great album. bought it after discovering leilas (singer) vocals on unkle tracks. its not unkle, they're more guitar based. Read more
Published 12 months ago by jon
Raw luxury
Take a wall of sound. Turn the "Raw" control to maximum. Add the vocals of a posh English Debbie (or should I say Deborah) Harry. And that's this record. Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2008 by Lurkalot
Almost there
I like this album alot but its not quite there. While the sound is strong, confident and raw its like there is a small ingrediant missing, not sure what but i feel if i saw them... Read more
Published on 25 Oct 2007 by Mr. B. D. Waters
Holy Cow!
This is the first album that I can safely say I hated and then loved all in the space of about 3 months. Read more
Published on 29 Jan 2006 by D. Lodge
Railing against the tide
There has been a deplorable fashion in recent years in the British mainstream, and doubtless elsewhere, for insincere sounding plodding mid-tempo songs by groups of faux-sensitive... Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2005 by Laurence Upton
Very impressed!
I bought this album on a premise of reading mixed reviews, but I am quite spontaneous these days with music, I have it in my head that I will not like a certain band and I can be... Read more
Published on 7 July 2005 by J. SULLIVAN
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