London quintet THE DUKE SPIRIT are getting pretty damn precise where these controlled explosion, sub-three-minute noise-pop singles are concerned. "Dark Is Light Enough" and "Cuts Across The Land" were murky, clandestine affairs that hit you at gut level and now "Lion Rip" muscles its' way in to make it three of a kind.
So it probably won't surprise you too much to discover that "Lion Rip" is another of those maelstroms waiting to happen that Liela Moss and co enjoy unleashing like starving Tasmanian Devils come single time. Its' portentous, low-riding, Stooges-style rumble features the band's patented killer chord changes, Liela's crotch-adjusting, modern-day Siouxsie drawl and basically the whole caboodle sounding like a band firing on all cylinders and getting out in that time-honoured, minus-three minute mark. Brief and scorching, just how we like it.
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Flip "Now Be Still" is worth a whirl, too. This time, bassist Toby Butler weighs in with a Steve Hanley-style growl of a melody line and Liela brings on the voodoo and a Shamanic work song of sorts. Surprisingly, it's entirely devoid of six-string action, but the minimal organ colouring works well and as a possible departure point it could be a thought for the future if cracks begin to appear in the walls of feedback they're currently so keen to erect within their tunes.
But we'll cross that bridge when they're thinking of burning it for good. For now, "Lion Rip" is a third savage, visceral slice of drilled guitar excitement of the old skool variety which can only prowl its' way into your heart.
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