The Duke Spirit Review The Singles

"They do their own thing.... which is cool with me."

The Duke Spirit are back.

One of the great survivors in English indie rock, the band recently went back into the studio, emerging renewed, excited and passionate about the future.

New album 'Blue And Yellow Light' has plenty of bite, with The Duke Spirit displaying the airs and graces of a group who simply won't be held back by others' preconceptions. Just the sort of people Clash needs in charge of the singles column, then.

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Everything Everything – 'No Reptiles'

"It's alright to feel like a fat child in a pushchair" is a pretty weird lyric for a pretty weird song. I like it. I'm not sure why. Minimal electronica culminating in stirring strings and an impressive high hat work out. They do their own thing… which is cool with me.

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Jahméne – 'Down For Love'

Although I'm not an X-Factor viewer, I saw enough to know this guy CAN SING!!!!! 'Down For Love' is solid R&B song let down by some novice production. Purposefully auto-tuned vocal? Cheap cheap beats with no soul – Jahméne should be offended. Who programmed this? Come on? My iPhone can do better than that. If this track had half as much soul as Jahméne's voice it would make me sit up. Would love to hear this track re-recorded with Amy Winehouse's old band. Look 'em up Jahméne! You deserve it.

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Brandon Flowers – 'Still Want You'

Brandon Flowers is back. A sentence likely to put me off my lunch. Or so I thought. Brandon Flower's attempts at mid 80's Bowie is, of course, a load of drivel, but it has a Killer (see what i did) chorus which could have moonwalked onto the end credits of Crocodile Dundee or Romancing The Stone. I can almost see him bumping and shaking ass with Danny Devito or Kathleen Turner in an obviously very hilarious manner…

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Seinabo Sey – 'Hard Time'

A pretty cool track. It definitely sits in the post Lorde pigeon hole, but that's not meant as a negative. Feels a bit like there's part of the song missing. Good production though, and she seems an interesting artist. Looks like a certain computer game has already given this track a big platform.

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Nathan Sykes – 'Over And Over Again'

…and over and over and over and over and over and over……… AGAIN!

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Anne-Marie – 'Boy'

Do girls really sit around talking like this? Really? It was kinda interesting when Destiny's Child did it in the 90s or whenever that was. Haven't they got Whatsapp to be getting on with?

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'Blue And Yellow Light' is out now.

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