The Congregation of Taste-Making Aficionados

Skip the intro and listen to the album straight through.


It is best to know bands before they get big because when they do, the fan will not get that “personal show” feeling and end up forking over a little more green to see them at bigger venues. In this economy, such an action is best avoided. Before that happens, I will introduce a band called The Duke Spirit. The Duke Spirit released their sophomore album, “Neptune” last year, which is still delivering the goods. The band is still on tour supporting the album with their single, “Lassoo,” and performing for the audiences of Jay Leno’s and Conan O’Brien’s shows. Then, as one would expect, with that kind of recognition, The Duke Spirit also landed one of their songs, “This Ship Was Built to Last,” in the TV series, “Gossip Girl.”

Band founders Liela Moss, vocals, and Luke Ford, on guitar, met at the Cheltenham Art College in Gloucestershire, England, and then moved to a flat in London to write songs. The Duke Spirit now has four EPs and two full-length albums with “Neptune,” produced by Chris Goss (Queens of the Stone Age). The entire album fits any mood you’re feeling. An album listener can expect to hear the song, “Wooden Heart”, which is a power ballad, then get taken back by grunge-rock. It will be a hard album to get sick of hearing, with Moss’s sexy, raspy voice penetrating your ears through the wall of instrumental sound, landing them a spot for the second year in a row playing at SXSW (South by Southwest Festival).