Reviewed by Nick Ruble - For the longest time I, like so many others, was stuck in the routine of listening to the same old music every day, essentially a handful of bands that I’d been into for years. I wasn’t really concerned with finding anything different, other than new releases from the groups I already listened to religiously, but that all changed pretty much over night after stumbling into the world of music blogging. I’m always looking for fresh new bands to review, and so far it’s introduced me to a variety of amazing and creative musicians, like Southampton alternative rock trio, Band of Skulls.
Originally set to release February 20th, Band of Skulls’ third studio album Sweet Sour leaked to various sites across the web, causing them to push the date up to the 7th. I was caught a little off guard at first listen, considering their name. For me, the first thing that comes to mind when hearing a name like Band of Skulls is something along the lines of a mediocre Slayer cover band… fortunately, I couldn’t have been farther from the truth.
Band of Skulls is a mixture of alternative, blues, indie, and garage rock featuring Matthew Hayward on percussion, Russell Marsden on guitars and vocals, and Emma Richardson on bass and vocals. I always enjoy groups with female vocalists, and that’s one of the main reasons I find these guys so appealing: they sing in more of a duet style, where you have male and female voices perfectly in sync throughout nearly every single track. They’re not too unlike the White Stripes, considering the overall sound of Marsden’s voice paired with Emma’s, which can be a little grungy at times, but also sweet and melodic at times. I guess it’s just the overall relationship you see between each member, bearing in mind that they are only a trio, yet they have such a big and tight sound.
Sweet Sour reminds me of albums like Cursive’s Mama I’m Swollen, in the sense that you have a group of artsy young musicians with a unique outlook on life that bleeds through into their work. Slower, more emotional tracks like Lay My Head Down draw you in and give you a little insight to the story of their personal life, and that’s an important characteristic for an album to have, in my opinion. Other songs such as Lies and Wanderluster are a little more up-tempo and in your face at times, strewn with screaming guitar licks and intoxicating melodies that grab your attention in a way that most indie bands don’t. I’d recommend this album to anyone who has a passion for intelligent, meaningful, bluesy indie music, as well as fans of groups like White Stripes, Cursive, Citizen Cope, and Iron and Wine.
Band of Skulls will be touring throughout the U.S. and Europe well into the late summer in regards to their release of Sweet Sour. You can find more information on the new album and 2012 tour at http://bandofskulls.com
Reviewer Nick Ruble is a music enthusiast, blogger, and optimist, going to school at Full Sail University for Music Production. You can check out his OS X game blog here.
BAND OF SKULLS: SWEET SOUR
Produced by: Ian Davenport
Label: Vagrant
Release Date: 02-07-2012
Copyright: 2012 Electric Blues Recordings/Psychollective under license to Vagrant Records
Total Length: 38:41
Genres: Indie, Rock, Blues, Garage, Alternative
They’re music is very interesting. Some songs are a bit too much for me but others are really pretty and almost ballad-like. Thank you for bringing them to my attention. I’m going to check to see if they’ll be anywhere nearby on their tour.
I almost skipped this review, because I also thought it was going to be heavy metal or something. I am glad my curiosity won, and I read your review because Band of Skulls sounds like something I would listen to. I really like the White Stripes, so I am going to try to listen to some tracks by Band of Skulls.