San Diego Reader

There just aren't that many honest bands around. I mean, bands that don't hide behind layers of sound and overdubbing. Not so Band of Skulls on their impressive guitar-driven debut album Baby Darling Doll Face Honey.

Consisting of three songwriters and two lead singers (boy/girl), this three-piece band hailing from the English port of Southampton has been together since 2008. After establishing themselves in the music and art scene of London, Band of Skulls took the opportunity to record in Radiohead's Courtyard Studios.

There is a nod to the White Stripes on the snarling "Death by Diamonds and Pearls," and the explosive if brief "Bomb" leaves you hungry for more. It's not all fire and brimstone, though, as the delicate and beautiful "Honest" tells its tale accompanied by acoustic and Spanish guitar, while the infectious "I Know What I Am" is getting regular airplay on local stations 91X and 94.9.

Featured on the Twilight saga New Moon soundtrack, Band of Skulls will soon be reaching a wider audience, but it’s a band worth watching out for.

Album title: Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
Artist: Band of Skulls
Label: Shangri-La Music
Songs: (1) Light of the Morning (2) Death by Diamonds and Pearls (3) I Know What I Am (4) Fires (5) Honest (6) Patterns (7) Hollywood Bowl (8) Bomb (9) Impossible (10) Blood (11) Dull Gold Heart (12) Cold Fame