There are a lot of big names getting thrown around when music journalists talk about The Duke Spirit. The Velvet Underground, PJ Harvey, Mazzy Star, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, etc, etc. (Have you figured out that they have a female singer yet?) Anyway, all these are valid comparisons, but as I was listening to the album for the first time today, I kept thinking: “Oh, so this is what Primal Scream would sound like if Bobby was a girl!” It’s maybe not the most obvious parallel, and The Duke Spirit are a lot less techno-oriented than the Scream have been of late, but the bass / guitar combo is just deadly, and the only other guys I’ve heard lay it down like that are Mani and Kevin Shields. So give it a listen and see what you think. The album isn’t out in the US for now, but I’ve got a feeling we’ll be hearing more from these kids. And I don’t mean a postcard.