Twain’s characters and Felice and Burke’s partnership share the ability to conjure beguiling tales. The modern Duke (Felice, above left) and King (Burke), however, are not here to pick your pockets. Rather, they roll out an emotionally rich batch of songs that turn on Felice’s vibrant wordplay. The two drummers by trade work a variety of instruments and arrangements to touch on folk and pop but ultimately make music that casts a moody, original light upon the lyrics.

Felice’s songs are trim and chiseled, most notable for their sheer honesty and attention to detail. "Union Street,’’ for example, is a snapshot of youthful turbulence that will seem three-dimensional to anyone whose younger days coincided with the mid ’80s.

For this new project Felice departed the Felice Brothers, the roots band he started with his two younger brothers. The Duke & the King’s music is quieter and more introspective. It takes on joy and loss with equal measure, and at its best - "Still Remember Love,’’ "Lose Myself’’ - lands at the intersection of the two.