Powerpopaholic [Review] The debut album of this Sydney Australian band showed promise last year, and now it comes through in a big way. “I Told You I Was Poor” is a dizzying pop number, that starts with harpiscord a la Mozart’s “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” and adds jarring heavy rock riffs in main chorus. The Queen-like guitar touches and hooks are catchy as heck, and the album doesn’t miss a beat with the bouncy “Capsize” with it’s baroque composition and heavenly harmonies. The highlights keep coming and the sunny melodies of “Gateway To The Stars” are contrasted by the cantata ”Rat Poison,” that sounds like it belongs in a Sweeny Todd musical. Nothing predictable here, fans of 10cc will simply love the quirky “Turnstyle” and an evil point of view is expressed on “I Was Drunk,” with our protagonist giving the excuse for rotten behavior. The ballads here are also well written with lead vocal Stanton Marriott giving us the poignant “Becoming My Old Man.” The term Psychomorphism refers to the attribution of feelings to animals and inanimate objects. No filler either and it looks like The Wellingtons are going to have to make room for another Aussie power pop band that gets my top ten of 2011 nomination. 9/10 Mike Baron - Pop Geek Heaven “Skeleton Staff are an internationally ignored Psych-pop-folk-glam-baroque’n’roll ensemble from Sydney Australia, that live in a cartoon strip.” Their second album, Psychomorphism, is a tour-de-force of sweeping chorale-based pop that effortlessly summons the spirits of Jellyfish, Queen, and XTC. “I Told You I Was Poor” begins the album with a seemingly throw-away snatch of song that grows and thickens into the towering pop with a monster minor-key bridge, Stanton Marriott’s Brian May-like guitar pyrotechnics, and an a capella outro. “Capsize” begins with a piano riff and brims with the type of melodic invention found in Spilt Milk. “Prince of Thieves,” with its thumping kazoo chorus, begins with a police siren. Bands, many of us listen to your music while driving. Please, for the sake of public safety, do not include police sirens in your recording. “Gateway to the Stars” is brilliant pop in the Crowded House vein. “Rat Poison” elbows The Super Powers in its twee symphonic sweep. Marriott sounds like he’s playing Brian May’s Red Special. That is to say Marriott is a monster. “Couldn’t Hear Me Through the Crowd” has more chord shifts than a Formula 1 race, a massive hook, and crazy gypsy violin. “Turnstyle” evokes ELO. “Becoming My Old Man” is somber and moving. “The World In 7 Days” is the type of mad pop pioneered by XTC. These comparisons are merely to indicate the type of music on this record. But if you love XTC, Jellyfish and Queen, you’ve love this. Stanton Marriott is a gifted cartoonist as well and the band never loses its sense of humor. Five out of five stars. Carolina Orange [Review] I miss the days of cartoon bands. Gorillaz brought back the fad for a short time in the 90′s (sort of), but they weren’t nearly as good as the Brill Building faux bands like The Archies or Groovie Ghoolies. Thanks to Skeleton Staff, a powerpop / baroque / classic rock band from Australia, we get to revisit the genre in all it’s glory, sans the Saturday morning TV show. The cover artwork gives only a hint of what’s up. The tray card even less as the credits under the track listing read as follows: “written, arranged, performed, and illustrated by Skeleton Staff”. A Google search yields nothing in the area of actual bios for the ‘band”, if in fact there is a band to speak of. Is this the work of a single person or a team of individuals? Their website and Myspace page, both of which present a cartoon persona of the band, identify the members only through corresponding fictional characters. I had no preconceived notion of Skeleton Staff’s disc, entitled Psychomorphism, would sound like. The description I’d been given? Baroque ‘n roll. Right from the get-go the harpsichord intro of “I Told You I Was Poor”, the albums first song, piqued my interest. And when I heard the opening lines of the song, I was hooked. “I never asked you to. I never wanted to. She rolled in like I was Poland back in World War II”. Brilliant. There’s a smorgasbord of influences here. From the Queen-like guitar parts and soaring harmonies of the opening song to the Ziggy Stardust-esque “Rat Poison”, this record is a joy ride through yesteryear without being overly derivative. All these influences blend into one to create something very different. Capsize is a great piano driven number and Gateway to the Stars has an irresistible melody. “I Was Drunk” is a lyrically brilliant song written from the perspective of an alcoholic who is eschews all responsibility for what he’s done after 9pm, instead placing the blame on the alcohol. “Prince of Thieves” is an irresistible number and Skeleton Staff covers all the bases with “Becoming My Old Man”, your requisite song about genetics, and what is appropriately the final song, “Is It Still Good”, meant as a question for a washed up football player, I imagine. Throughout all the tracks and the myriad of influences evidenced throughout, what stands out are not the details or ornate accessories that makes the songs shimmer but the irresistible hooks and infectious power pop melodies underneath. I’m a fan of Aussie rock bands. AC-DC, The Chevelles, Dom Mariani, Hoodoo Gurus, and the band that gave us the best album of 2012, The Wellingtons all hail from down under. Move over guys, and make room for Skeleton Staff. I don’t know if I’d call it baroque ‘n roll but I like it. You can find Skeleton Staff's new CD, Psycho morphism, on their website at skeletonstaff.net or at their Myspace page. Under the Tangerine Tree [Translated Review] I missed the debut of this combo Australian Solipsism, released a year ago, so this new Psycomorphism represents the greatest discovery of the year. From Australia, a land that never fails to be nourished with pop music of a higher class, Stanton Marriott and Co. arrive with a suitcase crammed with huge songs. The choice is sublime, rich and elegant. Baroque painting and frescoes of the Divine Comedy, of heavy pop and Queen of eccentricity; variations of rhythm, environment and gender. Capsize, between songs of the year, the best Brian Wilson catapult into hyperspace. Gigantic. Larry Koestler My Top Five of 2012 Skeleton Staff: Psychomorphism – I came across this album literally a week after I published my top ten last year, and had I known about it beforehand, it very likely would have topped that list. Every few years it seems as though a power-pop band comes out with an album that reignites the Jellyfish torch of ultra-catchy (and in several cases, slightly-baroque-tinged) tunes with unforgettable melodies and harmonies – I’m thinking of Josh Fix, Bryan Scary, Checkpoint Charley, Timmy Sean, Chris Brown, Jackdaw4, and Jellyfish’s own Roger Joseph Manning Jr., among others — and this time its Australia/New Zealand’s Skeleton Staff carrying the flame. Leadoff track “I Told You I Was Poor” marries a pop melody with a waltz-like classical music arrangement, giving you a pretty good idea of what you’re in for. “Capsize” sounds like the best song Jackdaw4 never wrote, with its bouncy, effortlessly catchy piano melody; “Rat Poison” goes back to the baroque/chamber-pop well with a composition that sounds like it wouldn’t be out of place being sung by a bunch of drunk knights in the dining hall of a 12th century palace; “I Was Drunk” oozes with a dirty bass groove; and “Becoming My Old Man” is a lovely paean that slows the proceedings down and really rounds the band’s range out. If you are a fan of any of the aforementioned bands, or are interested in taking an incredibly varied sonic trip down the aural rabbit hole, you will not be disappointed by this album. Swiss Records [Translated] Psychomorphism "is the second album after" Solipsism "(2009) by skeleton staff. Already had the debut of the band around singer and guitarist Stanton an ear length for fans of irrefutable and well-maintained catchy pop songs, so the current work is second to none manner. On the contrary. The songs sound more sophisticated yet harmonious, yet catchy ... Almost addictive. Elegant melodies, refreshing guitar melodies and addictive choruses and a touch of drama await the listener. As references we may this time in addition to the well-known Crowded House, XTC, Monochrome Set (vocals), Dukes of Stratosphear, the Pearl Fishers, Jellyfish, Badfinger, Squeeze and add a track queen. Skeleton staff, which means skeleton crew, but also have something to offer visually. For CD the band has created a comic strip that can be seen on their website. The band members also exist on its website only as cartoon characters. The "Psychomorphism" makes it an indie-pop genius and a work of art. Skeleton Staff of the Gorrilaz Indiepops. Peter's Power Pop Calling all Jellyfish fans, calling all XTC fans, calling all Queen fans, and calling all fans of Psychedelic Baroque Power Pop (that's a style of music, not a band name): Your ship has come in. The splendidly splendid Australian band, Skeleton Staff, has released its second album, Psychomorphism – and I like it. (Sorry about the "I like it" bit at the end of that sentence. I know that has nothing to do how you might feel about the album, but it's something I just blurted out. I'll try not to be so rash and hasty from now on. I'll try not to be, er, rashty.) Before you embark on a Psychomorphism listening spree, I must issue a couple of "beware"s to help you prepare for the album. Beware # 1: There's a lot more music in this album compared to the previous one. I don't mean that they've added more songs, I mean they've packed more music into each song. There are definitely more vocal harmonies (A Good Thing), and the instrumental backing is much more ornate. Beware # 2: You may laugh out loud (as I did) when you hear track 8, "Turnstyle". Now that I've heard the album a few times, I think it's grand. It's chock full of positives. And now for a couple of negatives: 1. No lyric sheet. Grrr. 2. As with the previous album, I'm still not overly fond of a lot of the guitar sounds. (It sounds to me like the band played around with the guitar's parametric equalizer settings a little too much.) Whatever was used to manipulate the sounds of the guitar, I wouldn't mind at all if the band stopped using it. Where was I? Oh, yeah.. Now that I hopefully have your attention, listen to the whole album: Footnote (although it was typed using hands): Skeleton Staff's first album is called Solipsism. This new album is called Psychomorphism. I have to ask: Is someone doing a degree in psychology? Kool Kat Records WOW!! Skeleton Staff describe themselves as "Psych-pop-folk-glam-baroque'n'roll ensemble that live in a cartoon strip" - and (while can only surmise the comic strip lifestyle is real) that's pretty darned accurate! These Aussie poppers are back with the terrific followup to "Solipsism" which was hailed as "‘Like Crowded House being bent over the bar by XTC. In the glam rock war between Bolan and Bowie, the winner is Skeleton Staff. The Spiders from Mars on paper". "Their debut album showed promise, and now it comes through in a big way. 'I Told You I Was Poor' is a dizzying pop number, that starts with harpiscord a la Mozart’s 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik' and adds jarring heavy rock riffs in main chorus. The Queen-like guitar touches and hooks are catchy as heck, and the album doesn’t miss a beat with the bouncy 'Capsize' with it’s baroque composition and heavenly harmonies. The highlights keep coming and the sunny melodies of 'Gateway To The Stars' are contrasted by the cantata 'Rat Poison,' that sounds like it belongs in a Sweeny Todd musical. Nothing predictable here, fans of 10cc will simply love the quirky 'Turnstyle' and an evil point of view is expressed on 'I Was Drunk,' with our protagonist giving the excuse for rotten behavior. The ballads here are also well written, like the poignant 'Becoming My Old Man.' No filler either and it looks like The Wellingtons are going to have to make room for another Aussie power pop band that gets my top ten of 2011 nomination." - Powerpopaholic.com "Calling all Jellyfish fans, calling all XTC fans, calling all Queen fans, and calling all fans of Psychedelic Baroque Power Pop (that's a style of music, not a band name):Your ship has come in!" - PetersPowerPop.blog GREAT!!!