Frank Black's Grand Duchy Announce Sophomore Album

News Jan 27 2012

By Gregory AdamsA few years back, prolific Pixies leader Frank Black teamed up with his wife Violet Clark to form yet another project, Grand Duchy, and the husband-and-wife duo are ready to get at it again with the announcement of their sophomore effort Let the People Speak .

A press release for the album, which arrives April 10 via Sonic Unyon, explains that the pair are in a more adventurous mood this time around, arguing that their debut LP Petit Fours was just a primer for the real action.

"My motto for this record was 'if Petits Fours was missionary, Let the People Speak needs to be doggy style,'" Clark said in a statement, with Black adding, "Let the People Speak has more confidence. For Violet, the confidence of finding one's voice; for me, the confidence to become submissive. This record was definitely more about slamming it in."

The 15-song outing is said to build upon the synth styles of their debut, but tracks like "See-Thru You" and the reportedly manic anthem "White Out" have apparently pushed the outfit into new heights, and are supposedly imbued with a care-free spirit. According to the act, they learned to just let the project exist without worrying about the next step.

"There's more energy left in the music if you're not picking it all apart with your brain," Clark explained, "worrying about whether what you're doing is 'cool' or not. I have decided that 'cool' has no place in what we're trying to do or achieve. What is 'cool' anyway?"

You can stream the loose and liberated synth-pop jam "Silver Boys" down below.

Let the People Speak :

1. "The Lopsided World of L"
 2. "See-Thru You"
 3. "White Out"
 4. "Where is John Frum"
 5. "Geode"
 6. "Shady"
 7. "Annie Bliss"
 8. "Dark Sparkles and The Beat"
 9. "Two Lies and One Truth"
 10. "Silver Boys"
 11. "Illiterate Lovers"
 12. "Face"
 13. "Esther"
 14. "ROTC"
 15. "Let the People Speak"

GET IT!