What do you get when you cross hi/lo-fi ‘emo’ (explanation coming), folky violins and a bit of Norwegian romantic gloom? The answer is not, as you might expect a moodier version of Sigur Ros but a slightly more distortionally-charged outfit by the name of Dry the River. These guys have been knocking around the UK in particular since 2010 and have a sound that is both folk/indie and something ‘else’- a little Fleet Foxes, maybe a little Coronas.
The self-described ‘emo’ five-piece has all the trappings of moody emotionally-driven folkiness with the often surprising inflection of a near-punk edge. It is here that we return to the aforementioned scandinavian gloom by way of explanation. Not only did Peter Liddle, the band’s frontman, spend much of his childhood in Norway but he also moved around the country thanks to his oil engineer father. Having formed lyrical fascinations with Roman Catholic iconography, Liddle also spent a lot of time forming his voice in the school choir- a fact that explains a lot about his voice which is soulful, lyrical and downright haunting. Dry The River has a sophisticated sound helped no doubt by Interpol and The National Producer Peter Katis’ working of their debut album Shallow Bed.
Dry The River played their first gig at the Luminaire in Kilburn, London, in April 2010 and consist of five people- a fluffy mix of beards and tattoos: Peter Liddle (guitar, tenor horn, lead vocals), Matthew Taylor (guitar, keys, vocals) Scott Miller (bass, percussion, vocals) ,Jon Warren (drums, percussion) and Will Harvey (keys, violin, viola, mandolin. Their second album was recorded in Iceland in early 2013 and in November 2012, the band went one step further in their eccentricity by releasing a limited edition beer, brewed with Signature Brew, called Mammoth.
Check it Out
No Rest was rightly chosen for an arresting and affecting debut single and is well worth a listen- as is New Ceremony which is a pleasant blend of Steinbeckian tones with the more overtly religious as well as lines like ‘as we danced to the shipping forecast’.
Linkages
Band Site: drytheriver.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/drytheriver
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