Grand Duchy - Petits Fours (Cooking Vinyl) Frank Black aka Black Francis aka Charles Thompson aka Dark Lord of The Catholics aka supreme deity to the followers of the Cult Of Frank. A man of many aliases he may already be, but Black's penchant for the pseudonym doesn't look like it's about to let up any time soon. This time he's keeping it in the family. Following a 'very punk' 12 day stint producing Art Brut's new LP, he's in compositional cahoots with his wife Violet Clark and together husband and wife are operating under the musical moniker of Grand Duchy. Whatever he's called, I'm just happy to have him on my stereo in any incarnation. Like Macca and his first better half did with Wings, Grand Duchy sees the pair form a new partnership in addition to their matrimonial union. Black's involvement may conjure up most of the hype surrounding the project, but from the off, it's clear that Clark's charms are brought very much to the fore on this album. With the exception of a few gloriously rollicking numbers like 'Black Suit' where Black's thunderous yowl is unleashed, Clark is on lead vocal duty for the most part of 'Petits Fours'. She sounds commanding yet sweet, somewhat akin to the vocal stylings of Chrissie Hynde. Actually, her sometimes semi sung, semi spoken style of delivery emulates Kim Deal's contributions to the Pixie's signature sound so much so that this may pacify the legions of fans that wait, wishing and hoping for some new material. That said, perhaps it's all a bit too familiar. Other tracks like 'Lovesick', whilst a delight in themselves, could easily be mistaken for the less bass driven tracks that didn't make the cut for The Breeders 'Last Splash'. Don't get me wrong, this is a great album, but it feels like Black and Clark should have made the sound that they had preconceived for Grand Duchy shine through a little more starkly. www.myspace.com/grandduchymusic MB Review originally published by CMU Music Network www.cmumusicnetwork.co.uk Rob F. Next