| Band of Skulls — By Default (27 May 2016) |
Band of Skulls — By Default (27 May 2016)
■ “We’re proud of this new album we’ve made,” says Marsden, and rightly so. It may not quite scale the heights of Himalayan but the appeal of By Default lies in different quarters, with some of the choruses easily the best the band have put to record. With the break over and touring already having restarted, they’ll be coming to a town near you very soon, one would imagine. Don’t miss them.
Location: Southampton, UK
Album release: 27 May 2016
Record Label: BMG Rights Management (UK)
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative
Duration: 40:40
Tracks:
01. Black Magic 2:49
02. Back of Beyond 3:10
03. Killer 3:28
04. Bodies 3:13
05. Tropical Disease 3:18
06. So Good 3:23
07. This is My Fix 3:47
08. Little Mamma 3:19
09. Embers 3:13
10. In Love by Default 4:09
11. Erounds 3:47
12. Something 3:01
℗ 2016 BMG Rights Management
Personnel:
■ Russell Marsden (guitar, vocals),
■ Emma Richardson (bass, vocals) and
■ Matt Hayward (drums)
Editors’ Notes
■ The blues–rock trio sketches out their future on By Default. Their first three albums formed an impressive trifecta, concluding with the soaring Nick Launay–produced Himalayan. By Default sounds like a band gleefully breaking from the past and moving forward. They motor down the highway on “Back of Beyond” and “In Love By Default” and vocalists Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson whoop it up on “Killer” and “Black Magic” — all songs bursting with a palpable sense of freedom.
Description:
♦ By Default is produced by Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters, Patti Smith) and recorded in Rockfield Studios. The follow up to 2014’s ‘Himalayan’, the trio — made up of Russell Marsden (guitar, vocals), Emma Richardson (bass, vocals) and Matt Hayward (drums) — took a conscious step back from relentless touring to concentrate on recording the record. Their first studio album, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, was released in 2009 and since then they have released a total of four studio albums, and two EPs. Their music has been featured in many television programs, video games and movie soundtracks including Friday Night Lights and The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack.
Q&A with Band Of Skulls
■ Can you tell us a bit about the build–up to your new album — where you recorded it, etc?
♣ When we finished touring our third album Himalayan we decided to find a new space to start writing in and came across a church in our home town which we rented. We striped down all our equipment to the bare bones and got to work. The sound in the space was incredible and so it really influenced the feel of the record. We sampled a lot of the sounds and singing in there a capella sounded really powerful. It was a very productive time.
We met up with Gil Norton in London soon after and he really understood what we going for and within two weeks we were in Rockfield recording the album.
■ You said you’ve let your imaginations run wild for this record, have you found inspiration in any particular place/person/idea?
♣ The first influence was the space we were writing in, a church in Southampton. The atmosphere and the sound was inspiring, especially with the drums.
We moved to a second church after a while and there started sampling the sounds in there, some of that made it on the final cut. Between the two sessions we wrote about 100 songs, huge lists of ideas taped to the walls. We only had to stop for a polling station, a wedding and a gypsy funeral complete with plumed horses. It was real and we were left to our own devices.
■ Do you have a favourite track on the album?
♣ We’re proud of the whole record and our favourites are constantly changing. We have just started taking this new record out on the road and so seeing the reactions early on before the album has been released is always interesting.
The songs “In Love By Default” and “Bodies” have been getting really good reactions when we’ve played them live and there’s also a song called “Tropical Disease” which is a warped soundtrack to our summer. ■ http://www.independent.co.uk/
Also:
By Graeme Marsh | first published: 24 May 2016 | Score. ***½
■ http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/band-skulls-default
By Steven White | By Live4ever, Posted on 26 May 2016 at 2:17pm |
■ In the news last month was a story about an alleged ‘lost’ Caravaggio painting found in an attic in France that sent art critics’ cravats into a twist over its genuineness. Real or not (there’s only a negligible £94m difference), Baroque’s bad boy won’t shiver a shiny hoot either way seeing as he’s been lying snug in a boneyard for the past 400 years. ■ http://www.live4ever.uk.com/2016/05/album-review-band-of-skulls-by-default/
Website: http://www.bandofskulls.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bandofskulls/
■■■_______________________________________________________■■■
| Band of Skulls — By Default (27 May 2016) |
Location: Southampton, UK
Album release: 27 May 2016
Record Label: BMG Rights Management (UK)
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative
Duration: 40:40
Tracks:
01. Black Magic 2:49
02. Back of Beyond 3:10
03. Killer 3:28
04. Bodies 3:13
05. Tropical Disease 3:18
06. So Good 3:23
07. This is My Fix 3:47
08. Little Mamma 3:19
09. Embers 3:13
10. In Love by Default 4:09
11. Erounds 3:47
12. Something 3:01
℗ 2016 BMG Rights Management
Personnel:
■ Russell Marsden (guitar, vocals),
■ Emma Richardson (bass, vocals) and
■ Matt Hayward (drums)
Editors’ Notes
■ The blues–rock trio sketches out their future on By Default. Their first three albums formed an impressive trifecta, concluding with the soaring Nick Launay–produced Himalayan. By Default sounds like a band gleefully breaking from the past and moving forward. They motor down the highway on “Back of Beyond” and “In Love By Default” and vocalists Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson whoop it up on “Killer” and “Black Magic” — all songs bursting with a palpable sense of freedom.
Description:
♦ By Default is produced by Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters, Patti Smith) and recorded in Rockfield Studios. The follow up to 2014’s ‘Himalayan’, the trio — made up of Russell Marsden (guitar, vocals), Emma Richardson (bass, vocals) and Matt Hayward (drums) — took a conscious step back from relentless touring to concentrate on recording the record. Their first studio album, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, was released in 2009 and since then they have released a total of four studio albums, and two EPs. Their music has been featured in many television programs, video games and movie soundtracks including Friday Night Lights and The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack.
Q&A with Band Of Skulls
■ Can you tell us a bit about the build–up to your new album — where you recorded it, etc?
♣ When we finished touring our third album Himalayan we decided to find a new space to start writing in and came across a church in our home town which we rented. We striped down all our equipment to the bare bones and got to work. The sound in the space was incredible and so it really influenced the feel of the record. We sampled a lot of the sounds and singing in there a capella sounded really powerful. It was a very productive time.
We met up with Gil Norton in London soon after and he really understood what we going for and within two weeks we were in Rockfield recording the album.
■ You said you’ve let your imaginations run wild for this record, have you found inspiration in any particular place/person/idea?
♣ The first influence was the space we were writing in, a church in Southampton. The atmosphere and the sound was inspiring, especially with the drums.
We moved to a second church after a while and there started sampling the sounds in there, some of that made it on the final cut. Between the two sessions we wrote about 100 songs, huge lists of ideas taped to the walls. We only had to stop for a polling station, a wedding and a gypsy funeral complete with plumed horses. It was real and we were left to our own devices.
■ Do you have a favourite track on the album?
♣ We’re proud of the whole record and our favourites are constantly changing. We have just started taking this new record out on the road and so seeing the reactions early on before the album has been released is always interesting.
The songs “In Love By Default” and “Bodies” have been getting really good reactions when we’ve played them live and there’s also a song called “Tropical Disease” which is a warped soundtrack to our summer. ■ http://www.independent.co.uk/
Also:
By Graeme Marsh | first published: 24 May 2016 | Score. ***½
■ http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/band-skulls-default
By Steven White | By Live4ever, Posted on 26 May 2016 at 2:17pm |
■ In the news last month was a story about an alleged ‘lost’ Caravaggio painting found in an attic in France that sent art critics’ cravats into a twist over its genuineness. Real or not (there’s only a negligible £94m difference), Baroque’s bad boy won’t shiver a shiny hoot either way seeing as he’s been lying snug in a boneyard for the past 400 years. ■ http://www.live4ever.uk.com/2016/05/album-review-band-of-skulls-by-default/
Website: http://www.bandofskulls.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bandofskulls/
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