While the revival in guitar bands is to be celebrated, thankfully there are some Irish rock acts still willing to use the standard formula as a springboard for their musical adventures rather than as a strait-jacket. One such is Dry County, whose unique brand of electro-rock mixes conventional instruments, drum loops, synths, buckets, boxes and a nutritious diet of influences, from the Boards Of Canada to Kraftwerk, The Propellerheads and Radiohead.
On their debut album, their use of a flesh and blood drummer gives the four-piece an edge over the more electronically-inclined, and lead vocalist Kevin Littlewood pitches his tone just right for the musical landscape. ‘Stop, Proceed’ has a melodic, gentle charm all its own, and the mellotronised ‘Another Idea’ is a handsome helping of vintage electronic rock you can dance to. The heavily-percussive ‘Edit Makes Right’ is infectiously fidgety, while ‘Take The Stairs’ explores the sci-hi-fi territory of Tangerine Dream, allied to a crisp melody and warm vocals, and the heavier ‘Attention’ has a singalong quality above stomping beats. Sadly, sometimes lyrics get lost in the soundscape, but when it feels this good we can live with that.
Unexpected Falls shows that with thought and creativity you can dabble with the machinery and still produce emotional music. It may not become a staple of daytime radio, but in the present climate, that’s a compliment to their inventiveness and sense of adventure.