Band of Skulls - album review

After a whirlwind year since signing to the Shangri-La label, Band of Skulls hit the ground running with their debut album, but is it all it’s been hyped up to be?

Having gone from playing club nights in their hometown to touring America, with a few gigs in Moscow and Tokyo in between, the music of Band of Skulls has travelled from Southampton to iTunes at breakneck speed. The hook-driven I Know What I Am was single of the week on iTunes in April, and exposure of their track ‘Friends‘ on the Twilight – New Moon soundtrack has also helped things along nicely. You could say that things are going well.
Although - if I’m completely honest - I had never heard of Band of Skulls until recently, and now I find myself wondering which rock I’ve been living under for the last year. Facepalm! A minor slip you may think, considering when I heard the name Band of Skulls I instantly bracketed them inside some kind of extreme Skank/Grindcore/Death Metal genre. Previously known as Fleeing New York, the band must deliver their new name with a wry smile, because little did we know, we have a gem of a band here. Discovering their true musical identity is like uncovering a thousand-year old Inca relic and taking it to the Antiques Road show – yes, it’s that special.
Band of Skulls are a reminder of our digital, disposable age; demonstrating that an album can be successful - through the correct marketing and promotion - when sold on an almost exclusively digital format. Their debut album Baby Darling Doll Face Honey also sounds exactly like you might think - which is playfully ironic. It is pure Rock ‘n’ Roll; raw, badass, sexy, and melodic. At times it’s euphoric and powerful, at others it’s whimsical and unkempt. At all times it’s brilliant, with the duo vocals from guitarist Russell Marsden and bassist Emma Richardson reaching some spine-tingling moments in standout tracks Fires, Patterns, I Know What I Am and Honest. With three songwriters in the band, BOS have access to endless melodic possibilities, and the album sure is an exhibition of that fact.
You will find it hard to find another debut album with such an astounding and complete collection of songs this year, besides Fleet Foxes, The Dead Weather and Mumford and Sons (all with obscure names as well, might I add). Band of Skulls repertoire reads like a who’s-who of classic rock/alternative influence, yet each song is wax-stamped with their own unique identity and a modern twist. This one’s a keeper.
4/5
Ian Easton
December 2009