Photo by:

On the group’s new record, Sweet Sour, Band of Skulls does not alter its sound dramatically but still fails to capture attention like it did on its first album. The band continues to channel the post-blues riffage and shouted choruses that brought popularity to its debut, but marginalizes it with a new songbook of slow songs.

Sweet Sour gets off to a boring, power-chord-driven start with the title track. Upon repeated listens the hooks become more obvious, but the second track, “Bruises,” comes out stronger with its highly contrasted chorus and verse structure. The song is perfectly inoffensive, but there is a noticeable lack of a powerhouse tune in the first few songs on the album.

Never does Band of Skulls sound more like a Jack White ripoff than on the lead single “The Devil Takes His Own,” but the sludgy licks and big overpowering vocals will have you headbanging within the first minute regardless. The song illustrates that Band of Skulls can still generate a foot-stomper, though the group now seems to prefer balladry.

Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson’s voices rarely appear solo on this disc, and “Lay My Head Down” is a perfect example of the band’s new emphasis on soft harmonies and sweetly strummed guitars. The result isn’t bad, but it clearly isn’t the Skulls’ forte.

A comfortingly cacophonous drudge tone picks the song up towards the end and sends the band through a series of softer melodies before ending in the same place it began.

The rest of the album follows the same pattern of soft-loud-soft, with the exception of “Lies,” which is seemingly brave for the way it drops right into the action.

As a whole, Sweet Sour is not an entirely new direction for the band; it is simply a new emphasis on the soft side of its music. Unfortunately, the album’s quiet moments also seem to be its most lifeless.

Though it has its deficiencies, Sweet Sour seems like a very gradual and natural progression for the band. Fans hoping for a set of catchy blues-rock songs may be disappointed, but others might embrace the band’s softer side.