The Dutchess and the Duke

'Sunset/Sunrise'

Homespun Seattle pals refine scruffy heartbreak.

Spin Rating7 of 10

Singer-guitarists Jesse Lortz and Kimberly Morrison have a noted Rolling Stones/Velvet Underground jones, but their music sounds equally connected to iconic lo-fi indie naifs Beat Happening. That said, limiting the Dutchess & the Duke's sophomore album to such comparisons feels unfair, because its finest moments ("Let It Die," "Sunrise/Sunset," and the beautifully tortured opener "Hands") -- featuring the duo's heartaching harmonizing -- capture a uniquely tender gloom amid the droning atmospherics.

By Kenny Herzog

1 Van Halen 'A Different Kind of Truth'
2 Lana Del Rey 'Born to Die'
3 Cloud Nothings 'Attack on Memory'
4 Himanshu 'Nehru Jackets'
5 Kathleen Edwards 'Voyageur'
6 Imperial Teen 'Feel the Sound'
7 Leonard Cohen 'Old Ideas'
8 Skrillex 'Bangarang'
9 Escort 'Escort'
10 First Aid Kit 'The Lion's Roar'

1 Kathleen Edwards 'Voyageur'
2 Cloud Nothings 'Attack on Memory'
3 Cloud Nothings 'Attack on Memory'
4 Himanshu 'Nehru Jackets'
5 Imperial Teen 'Feel the Sound'
6 Imperial Teen 'Feel the Sound'
7 The Mark Lanegan Band 'Blues Funeral'
8 The Mark Lanegan Band 'Blues Funeral'
9 Leonard Cohen 'Old Ideas'
10 Escort 'Escort'

The Dutchess and the Duke

'Sunset/Sunrise'

The Mark Lanegan Band 'Blues Funeral'

Of Montreal 'Paralytic Stalks'

Van Halen 'A Different Kind of Truth'