While 2009 debut
Baby Darling Doll Face Honey saw them heralded alongside the likes of
the Kills,
the Subways, and
the Duke Spirit as the U.K.'s answer to
the White Stripes, Southampton trio
Band of Skulls' second effort,
Sweet Sour, reflects the contrasting nature of its title by embracing a more wistful melodic side alongside their more familiar scuzzy garage rock sound. The towering basslines and frenzied psychedelic riffs of the opening title track, the old-fashioned grizzly blues of "The Devil Takes Care of His Own" and "You're Not Pretty But You Got It Goin' On," and the
Pixies-influenced sludge rock of the epic "Bruises" show they can still get "down and dirty" with the best of them. But the album remains just as dynamic on the more introspective material, largely thanks to the atmospheric production from
Ian Davenport (
Supergrass,
Badly Drawn Boy), which perfectly complements frontman
Russell Marsden and bassist
Emma Richardson's gorgeous interweaving harmonies on the smoldering folk of "Close to Nowhere," the slow-burning Americana of "Navigate," and the dreamy acoustic balladry of "Hometowns." Keeping listeners on their toes, the monstrous dubstep-inspired middle-eight interrupting the otherwise beautifully melancholic "Lay My Head Down" and the fuzz-rock chorus exploding after the gently shimmering
Warpaint-esque verses of "Wanderluster" are further indication of the band's confidence. And confident they should be, as while there are still traces of
Jack White's many projects throughout its ten tracks, it's a much more focused and intriguing follow-up that may provide a much-needed shot in the arm for the guitar-bass-drums three-piece formula. ~ Jon O'Brien