Far from living up to its name, this Guelph-based band produces a lush and living sound. The songs are wonderfully arranged, too. Intricately interwoven guitars and keyboards keep the record bouncing along while the vocals are witty and strongly harmonized. There’s a heavy feeling of the ‘60s throughout the album with a lot of The Zombies and The Monkees coming through in places. That being said, The Skeletones Four bring an intensity and style that firmly places the band in the present. The sixth track on the record, Rotten to the Core, contains only one verse and one chorus before giving way to a wicked instrumental for the last two thirds of the song. This is true of most of the record, actually, and allows the intense, Brian Wilson-style compositions to show through. Check these guys out, pronto.

Published in Volume 66, Number 3 of The Uniter (September 15, 2011)