Cuff the Duke
Union
Release Date: Oct 2, 2012
Genre(s):
Record label: Paper Bag Records
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Album Review: Union by Cuff the Duke
Acceptable, Based on 3 Critics
Based on rating 6/10
Union finds Cuff the Duke moving away from their country-rock and Americana roots (if a band from Toronto can be said to have Americana roots) toward a more mainstream sound. Union is meant as a companion piece to last year's Morning Comes, which featured songs that dealt with bad relationships and the specter of life as an adult. This time they're dealing with the upside of aging and maturity.
Based on rating 3/5
CUFF THE DUKE play the Great Hall on Friday (September 28) as part of Paper Bag Records' 10th anniversary concert series, and the Winter Garden Theatre on November 24. See listing. Rating: NNN On Union, the second of a two-part concept album that began with last year's Morning Comes, local roots rockers Cuff the Duke are more psychedelic, sonically textured and reminiscent of Tom Petty's Full Moon Fever than ever.
Based on rating C-
Without thinking too hard about why the hell this bears mentioning, try not to be thrown off by the whole “(word) the (noun)” band name thing. Cuff the Duke deserve their day in court before being offhandedly lumped in with your Said the Whales, Cage the Elephants, or Young the Giants. On their sixth LP, the Toronto alt-country outfit scores beautifully with a plugged-in spin-off of their previous album, the more acoustic Morning Comes, written at the same time as Union and intended as its counterpart.
'Union'
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