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The Dry: Building on the Construct

This Dunedin experimental rock outfit name Radiohead and HDU amongst their influences - and it shows through strongly in their debut. That's not to say that their music is derivative in any way; each song on the album shows a clear ability to craft original soundscapes that illustrate the band's songwriting skills. The Dry bring a minimalist approach to their music, even extending it to the album packaging, and it does take a while to appreciate the hidden complexity and richness in the music. This often laudible feature can equally work against them, as some songs require careful concentration on the details. Otherwise they can easily become background music before the listener is brought back with one of the many explosive, multi-layered crescendos. From the album it's easy to see that the band would be in their element live, allowed to extend their songs into evocative jam sessions without the time and monetary constraints of a studio-produced album. All in all though, it's a very good album, one that definitely bears up to, and benefits from, repeated listening.

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