Violet Clark grew up loving '80s synth pop and new wave; as
Black Francis,
Frank Black pioneered the alternative rock sound of the late '80s and early '90s. As
Grand Duchy, the duo marry these styles into
Petits Fours' shiny, surprisingly eclectic style. While
Clark appeared on
Black's
Honeycomb and
Fast Man Raider Man,
Petits Fours feels truly like a joint effort -- they take turns singing lead and bringing their particular strengths to the fore, and
Clark's contributions don't feel overwhelmed by playing with an alt rock great (who just happens to be her husband). Most of the songs
Black takes the lead on wouldn't necessarily sound out of place on one of his own albums, especially the opening track "Come Over to My House"'s brash stomp, but even this song has more keyboards on it than any of his work since
Frank Black or
Teenager of the Year. However, if it weren't for his unmistakable full-throated howl, "Black Suit"'s darkly glamorous sheen could easily fit on an
Interpol album. It's the songs on which
Clark sings lead that really define
Grand Duchy and
Petits Fours:
Clark, who was in other bands and self-released her own album before meeting and marrying
Black, takes the album in very different directions, from the sultry synth pop of "Seeing Stars" to "Lovesick"'s sassy rock, on which her vocals have a touch of Kim Deal and other '90s alternative rock ladies to them. Given
Black and
Clark's previous collaborations, these songs are surprisingly expansive; when this works, it lends an epic cast to the power ballad "Long Song" and allows "Ermesinde" to morph from strummy acoustics to sweetly harmonized electronics with some
Fiery Furnaces-like tangents along the way. At other times, songs like "Fort Wayne" and "Break the Angels" feel padded, and it's hard to shake the feeling that
Petits Fours would be sweeter if it was a little shorter. Still,
Grand Duchy have enough fun on the album that more often than not, it's contagious. ~ Heather Phares