Band of Skulls - Fires (Shangri-La)

Jessica Grant | Sunday, 29 August 2010

'Fires' is a considerably ambient song for a band who are so well known for playing hard and heavy rock and roll. Having gained considerable success through thundering tracks like 'Death by Diamonds and Pearls' and the Twilight-number, 'Friends', this new single may come as a surprise to fans seeking yet more fierce sounds.

Not that 'Fires' lets fans down when it comes to those crunchy electric riffs Band of Skulls hammer out so well. Their rock and roll is still very much present. It just crawls out of the speaker at a slower, more seductive pace.

A jagged guitar lick carried by an underbelly of brooding percussion opens up the track, before leading into Russell Marsden's sultry voice. Bassist, Emma Richardson's swirling vocal contribution not only provides a beautiful contrast to Marsden when the pair harmonise, but she generally scatters the song with an almost spiritual atmosphere, crying "Cos we are fires in the night! Let us bath you in our light!", amid the chant-worthy chorus.

'Fires' certainly has an undoubted calm. It walks along so casually to the point it almost fails to explode into anything overly exciting, perhaps an anti-climax, some would say. However, this track is not intended to blow our eardrums with riffs and rage. It instead arrives with dreamy intentions. 'Fires' is a truly, excuse the pun, smouldering track.

Rating: : 4/5