Dry the River - "Shallow Bed" Review

I thought I'd start my reviews with one of my favourite albums of the year "Shallow Bed" by Dry the River.

Dry the River - Shallow Bed

Dry the River are a folk/rock band from London who combine beautiful music with beautiful stories. Peter Liddle, the lead singer, has one of the most melodic voices of the industry and just captures you in your own thoughts for the whole album.

I will be honest, I'm only a Dry the River fan because of Fearne Cotton and Radio 1. My mum heard them one day whilst in the car and raced home to tell me about them, I listened to their only single at the time "No Rest" and I was hooked!

The album starts off with "Animal Skins" which if you ask me, is a bit of a marmite song to put at the start of the album (you'll either love it there or hate it there). For me, the first track is GENIUS, it makes the album seem like it is really working right from the start. The first track just puts you right in there at the heart of the action and leaves a lasting impression on the listener because you can't help but think, it is a very brave move for a debut album.

Through out the album, the band has a massive sense of togetherness. One of the things I love most about this band/album, is they really aren't scared to push the boundaries of folk and rock. Whether it is adding in a distorted guitar with a fiddle or all breaking into song in the final chorus, the are constantly looking for ways to make their sound a lot bigger.

Story telling is a massive part of folk and a huge part of this album. The songs are like poetry and every word that is said in this album is meant.

Religion is threaded through out the album which I think really adds to the poetic element of the whole record. The vocals in the album have a feel of church choirs about them, the delicate tone is in perfect harmony with the power of the record's messages.

The instruments used, range from amazing percussion to intricate strumming of the guitar. The fiddle is always there with horns and creates a beautiful foundation for each song. The use of guitars is really clever, personally, I would have never put an electric guitar with a fiddle but on this album, it really works! It's always nice to hear more percussion than your crash symbols and heavy snare. Although mostly the percussion is a basic drum kit, you get those moments when they use the glockenspiel to give a nice extra something to the percussion section.

This band are absolutely Mumford and Sons for the real music lover. They are just heavenly, it is 100% that album to put on whilst on a long road trip to keep you entertained. This album is like a book being read to you through a melody and considering it is a debut album, I'm so excited to hear what they've got next for us. This is an album to treasure and keep safe forever and ever!

9/10

Recommended tracks: "Bible Belt" "No Rest" and "Weights and Measures"

Listen to if you like: Mumford and Sons, Waterboys, Folk in general!!

Here is a link to their latest track "New Ceremony" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCJ22QQTWtM&list=PL12D61D88D56291F0&index=1&feature=plcp

To buy the album go to - http://www.itunes.com/drytheriver