Dukes of Windsor - Minus
Universal
By Gemma Fox
Keeping with the see-saw dance-rock sounds of their previous album The Others, Dukes of Windsor manage to both appeal and appall with their new one, Minus. Recorded at Tonteknik Studios, a former lunatic asylum in Sweden, the album certainly does one's head in, though not necessarily in a bad way.
Lyrics like "I just want to disappear, just want to run away..." admittedly made me feel the same way until (psycho) killer tracks such as 'It's a War' brought out the guns and started fighting back with stomping beats and clomping army boots. 'Refuse' also unleashes some commando force, demanding the listener to stop and dance where they are, while the Labyrinth-style 'Land of Strangers' changes the mood, bringing brooding lovers into the limelight, caught between an MC Escher set and Bowie in full Goblin King get-up.
Jack Weaving's theramin-esque lead vocals verge on castrato in some of his songs, which is also impressive (no, really). There are a few negatives about Minus, but maybe that's the influence of life in a padded cell.