Grand Duchy - 'Petit Fours' (Cooking Vinyl) Released 16/02/09

 

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.