Just playing music, collaborating on a record, is sort of like doing the sex: band mates gotta ride each other's rhythms, and everyone tries to finish at approximately the same time. They say sex stops after marriage but I feel like that can't be true for husband and wife bands like Grand Duchy, comprised of Black Francis and Violet Clark. Like so many sexual encounters, Grand Duchy started as an experiment, liked the way it felt, and kept attempting to try new things.The new Grand Duchy album, Let the People Speak, is set to drop on April 10th. It's a more confident and steady album then their debut, Petits Fours. Of their output, Clark said "If Petits Fours was missionary, this record is doggy style." Black Francis said something about how this record is about foregrounding Violet's sultry voice and learning to be submissive to her songwriting, so if that means strap on heterosexual male-penetration then let me go on record as saying: awesome.Personally I find this record to be pretty seductive, but jagged and driving too. So I guess it's kinda like getting boned hard in my boy-vagina, but in a safe way.Radio personality Jonathan L (of the the Lopsided World of L) lends his voice intermittently introducing each track and bringing in a level of strange voyeurism and critique, something that might help the listener parlay this weird little beauty. In terms of sonic mapping I'd say this record is closer to David Lynch's Crazy Clown Time than Surfer Rosa, but is that really a bad thing? Singles "Shady" and "White Out" are alright, but I suggest checking out deep nugget "Face" first to really feel Grand Duchy's haunted beat.
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