Nonsense In The Dark

Nonsense in the dark, the debut album from London electro-rock synth trio Filthy Dukes, is not only a perfect feel-good summer album, but in my opinion one of the best albums of this year. Like many albums of the Filthy Duke nature, this album features an abundance of guest vocals ranging from Samuel Dust (Late of the Pier) to Orlando Weeks (The Maccabees) which creates a diverse range of sounds and gives each track its own individual quirks and tone. Opening track ‘This Rhythm’ wastes no time in identifying itself within the electro genre, the percussion and sampling are perfectly done and fit like clockwork with Samuel Dust’s disjointed lyrics and rhythmically syllabic vocals. This is the track you’ve been looking for, the one you play in your car loudly as you drive to the beach or chill out with your mates on the grass, brilliant. First single ‘Tupac Robot Club Rock’, featuring vocals by Philadelphian rappers Plastic Little, is an interesting one for release as it stands apart from the rest of the album, being the only ‘rap’ song. It does, however, flaunt Filthy Dukes’ versatility, the way in which they’ve combined the alcohol- and sex-orientated American rap to modern London edge electro. I’ve seen this combination end up sounding like a bad 80s b-side but ‘Tupac Robot Club Rock’ has been done artfully and sounds relevant and ‘fresh’…sorry.

Title track ‘Nonsense In The Dark’ features the melodic, heart-rending voice of Maccabees’ man Orlando Weeks, and with lyrics like ‘and through woven fingers, street lit flings that call you away’ you’d think it was just a Maccabees remix, oh but how wrong you’d be, Filthy Dukes are clever, clever boys and still manage to retain their own electro sound all through Orlando’s shining performance. They’ve dubbed their music as “electroacidhousenuravetwisteddiscopunkfunk” which is pretty much bang on the money, although the pop element (which they missed out in that concise description) is also felt strongly on tracks such as ‘Messages’, featuring Sweden’s very own electro-pop king Tommy Sparks, and on the lyrical-less speed wagon that is ‘Cul-de-sac’. What happens next is an English Justice DVLO sound-a-like, but only better of course. This band are unnaturally cool it seems, and make the kind of music that they like to dance to, drunk, in a dingy club. Don’t we all? ‘You Better Stop’ is an itchy feet destroyer, this is the kind of track machines makes love to at night. Get out your best dancing shoes because electro is the new euphoria.

Although less quirky than Does It Offend You, Yeah?’s fantastic debut this time last year, Filthy Dukes seems to have stepped into their shoes this year while they take a break, they’d better watch out, or maybe give up hope altogether… Don’t get me wrong, this album does have its soft side too; ending track ‘Somewhere At Sea’ verges on a Massive Attack ballad-esque sound: it’s piano led with haunting lyrics providing a provocative, albeit slightly melancholy, end to a journey through a terrific debut. Electro is taking over 2009 as it has every year on the ‘alternative’ dance scene, and Filthy Dukes will be at the very front, pulling their shapes to the heavy beats of this superb album.