The ‘Sound of 2012’, the ‘new Mumford & Sons’… sometimes too much hype can do more harm than good to a flourishing artist or group. But don’t judge a book by its cover; there seems to be more than meets the eye where heavily tattooed, beard bearing Dry The River are concerned.
A stellar bout of live gigs, a splattering of British festivals and a stint supporting Bombay Bicycle Club in late 2011 have all contributed to repeated proclamations of imminent success over the last 12 months for Dry The River. After a major-label bidding war, the quintet are now signed to RCA, sharing their turf with the likes of Britney, Usher, Westlife and Beyonce. As record company ‘families’ go, the Stratford five-piece couldn’t be any further away from the gyrating vortex of sequins and latex leather – lamenting by candlelight with only a goblet of wine for company sounds a bit more accurate. Although they will undoubtedly appeal to those of a ‘folk’ mindset, their versatility of sound prevents them from confining themselves to a specific genre. Of course, this can only be helped by the fact that they don’t spend half their time poncing around in waistcoats and tweed, like many of their peers.
‘Animal Skins’ launches us into the album, managing to be both mellow and invigorating; the combination of Peter Liddle’s gauzy vocals accompanied by a driving bass, suggesting the rousing of a stirring creature from a deep and musty slumber. The multi-instrumental band combine swelling group harmonies with sing-a-long hooks, creating a warm atmosphere that ripples across the album. Throughout Shallow Bed, there is the constant juxtaposition of roaring raw emotion and softer, more intimate moments. It’s hard not to imagine upbeat ‘The Chambers and The Valves’ being echoed around countless festival fields by summertime, but equally, you can’t help feel slightly melancholy when listening to ‘No Rest’ and its escalating cries of “I loved you in the best way possible”.
Not attaching themselves to a specific genre, and counting Fleet Foxes, Leonard Cohen and At The Drive In amongst their influences, it would be easy to be idle and draw clumsy comparisons between Dry The River and the likes of Bon Iver and The Killers. Indeed, this certainly seems to be reflected in the chorus of ‘New Ceremony’, which bears striking resemblance to the Brandon Flowers’ hit ‘Crossfire’. Above that, ‘Weights & Measures’ intensifies from delicate, gingerly plucked guitars to heavy, euphonic refrains, with the eerie presence of tracks such as ‘Bible Belt’ and ‘Demons’ presenting stripped back vocals, melting the listener into a disconcerting lullaby then launching them into the stratosphere propelled by soaring riffs dripping with vocal melodies.
For a debut album, it seems that Dry The River have a bright and promising year ahead of them. Whilst they probably won’t take over the world or change the face of music forever, it’s a solid first offering, and provides hope that music with ambition, spirit and depth will continue to be produced. Perhaps most crucially, this is a band that has the confidence to sound like themselves, and having been lucky enough to meet them on tour last year, I can safely assure that they have the graciousness and congeniality to go with it.
Discover Dry The River: Facebook // Official Website // Last.fm
By Laura Hendry
Dance Yrself Clean
