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The most striking thing when you listen to Grand Duchy is their criss-crossing male-female vocals. Rarely has there been a more chalk and cheese mix than between the brash, aggressive vocals of Black Francis and the soft, seductive tones of Violet Clark, but, as we all know, opposites attract sometimes. In this case opposites attracted, they got married, had three children and they finally decided to release an album to celebrate their vocals talents. Oh and did I mention Black Francis also spent some of that time fronting some band called the Pixies?!
So the ingredients are in place. Collectively Grand Duchy are a mix of 80s synths, pounding drumming and of course those unmistakable vocals. The gorgeous ‘Lovesick’ is a synth-tinged love tale sounding more than a little like Canadian rockers Metric, which incidentally is no bad thing.
When Black unleashes his voice in ‘Black Suit’ he strains maniacally to get that last note out as he shouts “The boy looks good in a black suit!” With the whispering Violet in the backgroundas a perfect compliment it stands out as a real highlight.
The majority of the vocals are from Violet and its tracks like ‘The Long Song’ and ‘Break the Angels’ which make this album so enthralling. The latter is acoustic and slow paced in comparison to the rest of the album and is blessed with some simple but no less inspired vocals. “I’m camera shy, I’m terrible at names, but as the years go by, I’m more open to playing your games,” follows the bass line perfectly to produce yet another memorable moment.
While Black’s vocals are still a huge part of this work, it is Violet who stands out, which in itself is a huge compliment to her. It's an album which flows comfortably and maintains a feel good factor. It could have been a gamble to extend their marriage to the recording studio, but it’s a gamble that has paid off handsomely.
