London Metro
Tuesday, 21st July 2009
The Duke & The King is tinged with regret
Taking its name from the two itinerant con men in Huckleberry Finn, The Duke & The King is the new project from former Felice Brothers vocalist Simone Felice and although it isn't full of shaggy-dog tales like its namesakes, it does have an on-the-road world-weariness that's largely narrative-driven.Ditching the thrash country of his siblings, Felice has hooked up with former George Clinton collaborator Robert Chicken Burke.Honeyed 1970s Americana is the dominant influence on tracks such as Union Street but there's a flash of psychedelia on Lose My Self, while The Morning I Get To Hell brings to mind the more intimate musings of Joe Pernice.There's a plangent mix of regret and hope to these tunes; the soundtrack to a half-disintegrated memory of better times.- Claire Allfree