Skeletons & the Empty Pockets (or just Skeletons, as they go by both) is an emerging five-piece band from Sheffield, UK who play an energetic brand of hard Pop that makes me want to see them live. They have just released an EP with two singles that I think are nearly guaranteed to secure them a record deal for a full-length release.
The first track, ‘Oh Brother, Oh Sister,' got ripped straight to my iPod. The vocalist (detailed info on the bands’ personnel is hard to come by online) has a powerful voice with a liquid sheen that made me think of Nathan Willet of Cold War Kids. The guitar work competes with the percussion for skill and power. Both win. The harmony vocals are right in the groove and it’s a fantastic Pop song.
Track two, ‘In the Woods,’ features stomping guitar and an accessible hook at the chorus that sounds effortless. Props go out to the engineer, who did a nice job of bottling The Skeletons’ energy on this track. I decided to keep this one after the second listen.
The Skeletons flash some personality on their MySpace page, where they cite Quincy Jones as an influence and describe themselves as “Roy Orbison meets Gil Scott-Heron meets neurosis.” They have a funny back-story as well. The band met at a Karate lesson and bonded over a shared love of Minnie Riperton, Micheal Jackson and Slayer!
The singles are available from Amazon and I recommend you check them out. I will try to keep them on my radar and wait for their major label debut, which I presume will be forthcoming.
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Skeletons & the Empty Pockets - Oh Brother, O Sister / In the Woods [Single]
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CMJ 2007, Night Five (Brother Edition): Little Brother and Brother Ali