by Briony Chappell

The much-awaited debut album from folk-pop group Dry The River has finally been released.

The album is a mix of songs that fans have heard before, from November’s EP Weights and Measures, or that have been leaked on the Internet.  However, with more studio-time, the sound of each track has clearly been revamped.

‘The Chambers and The Valves‘ is a wonderful example.  With an undeniable foot-tapping, hand-clapping quality, the quintet from London have proved that patience really is a virtue.

In Palatinate’s Record on our radar feature earlier this year, we said their vocal harmonies were heart-wrenchingly good, and this resonates throughout Shallow Bed.

Other highlights include the effortless movement from ‘Weights and Measures‘ into ‘Bible Belt‘, and the return of their original free giveaways, ‘History Book‘ and ‘Shaker Hymns‘.

‘Bible Belt‘ proclaims, “The trick of it is, don’t be afraid any more”, and this sounds like the band’s mantra.  The confidence in this album is sky-high; they know, in the words of Adele, they’ve “done good”.

If you’re a fan of any big folk acts (Mumford, Noah etc.) Dry The River will be right up your street, and Shallow Bed is definitely worth the buy.  The big question is now: “When will they come back to Durham?!”

 

Shallow Bed is released on 5 March 2012.