iTunes Single of the Week Review: “Sweet Sour” by Band of Skulls

In 2009, the alternative rock band from Southampton, England, Band of Skulls, experienced a kiss of success with their debut album “Baby Darling Doll Face Honey.” Singles from the album, “I Know What I Am,” and “Friends,” were picked up by the popular television show “Friday Night Lights.” The latter was featured on “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” soundtrack.

This year, Band of Skulls looks to continue their success with the release of their sophomore album, “Sweet Sour” (Electric Blues Recordings).

The title track, “Sweet Sour,” features a classic old school hard-rock sound from start to finish that will, without a question, continue their success. A song about self-amendment, having the courage to learn from mistakes, drummer Matt Hayward and bassist Emma Richardson sync up beats and strums to set up a tone of intervention. The harmonized vocals from Richardson and Russell Marsden, with Marsden’s divinely dizzy guitar work that build up the calm, self-help meditation, “You should get a little braver/Do us all a favor, shout about it.”

With each passing verse the vigor of the sound strengthens, listeners will expect a blast of angst cloaked under each hypnotic and meditative chorus, “Sweet sour/Sweet sour/Sweet sour.” However, Band of Skulls doesn’t deliver that classic rock thrashing.

No, not right away.

Like Sisyphus’s mythical climb uphill, Band of Skulls pushes to the top, slows to a halt as Richardson and Marsden’s soothing “ooohs” in the back as one can feel the ground underneath crumble to a sudden rush that triggers the chaotic pleasures of a grunge-guitar solo that madly slashes out the angst trapped behind the lyrics.

With heavy layers of distortions and reverbs, “Sweet Sour” will charge ears to a destructive nirvana—erratic hard stomps of the feet might be the least Band of Skulls will provoke the listener’s body to do.

The dynamics, to start slow and steadily build up to deliver a barrage of aggression, makes this track a formidable mainstay on any rock playlists this year. With “Sweet Sour,” Band of Skulls will unfurl one’s most mitochondrial madness and it’s this week’s iTunes Single of the Week.

Your ears can now savor Band of Skull’s “Sweet Sour” taste for free by visiting the iTunes Music Store today.