Petits Fours

Grand Duchy is the married duo of former Pixie front man Frank Black/Black Francis and Violet Clark. They’ve worked together before on solo albums by Black but this is their first full collaboration. The two share vocal duties about equally (they mesh well) and together they have created a truly schizophrenic album, which is not a complaint. Rather, they pursue a range of emotions and ideas that move from sleazy (“Come On Over to My House”) to bouncy and catchy (“Lovesick,” with a great vocal by Clark) to aggressive and cathartic (“Black Suit”), and back to melodic, edgy Pixie-esque pop with hooks (“Fort Wayne,” “Break the Angels”). There are also heavy doses of Black’s grizzly guitar tone sprinkled throughout, but the real curveball is the emphasis on keyboards and other electronic touches that have a distinct ‘80s new-wave feel. Sometimes the synth is ambient and atmospheric, other times upfront and pronounced, but it’s everywhere. This eclecticism makes Petits Four puzzling but it's also part of its cracked charm, and there are enough grand moments here to please just about anyone fond of Black’s music.