The only bad thing about The Dry Spells' self-titled EP is that it’s not a full-length album.
I first heard the eerie, female vocals-driven sounds of The Dry Spells on MySpace. After that, I couldn’t wait to hear them live and get my hands on their EP. When I finally got the chance to see them in concert, I returned home at nearly 1am and immediately popped their disc into my computer.
The Dry Spells’ sound is eclectic and dreamy. Their influences are as diverse as Fleetwood Mac, Heart, and Russian folk songs. The mostly female Bard College graduates create the kind of music that is both interesting and inspiring. The self-titled, self-released EP is my new favorite painting soundtrack.
Listening to “Shruti,” the first track on the EP, literally makes you feel as though you have been transported into a snow-covered forest of make-believe, while the lyrics are like a fable whispered into your ear. It’s the kind of music that really gets under your skin; so full of sweet harmonies and intensely layered echoey vocals. The repetitive churning percussion and spooky humming of “Black is the Color” are hypnotizing. My favorite track on the EP is “Too Soon for Flowers,” which opens with a folky violin solo and then transitions into a more indie-folk-punk sound. The arrangement of the violin and guitar perfectly contrast with the driving percussion and the warm melodic voices of singers Tahlia Harbour and April Hayley.
The Dry Spells paint truly ethereal dreamscapes with their enigmatic compositions, immersing the listener in a fairytale, an enchanted forest of hypnotic folk music. By the disc’s end, you will be wandering down the path to a happily ever after of your own.
The only bad thing about