Take A Chance On: Dry The River

"Music is ... A higher revelation than all Wisdom & Philosophy" - Ludwig Van Beethoven

There's something very satisfying about finding a new band. It almost becomes your best kept secret, something you do not wish to share with others. However, In this technologically advanced age, the secret becomes harder to keep. Places like Facebook and Youtube create a medium for bands, a stage if you will, to get their foot in the door. It was this way that I discovered Dry The River, and let me say, I'm glad I did. I know that this band are going to be huge, and if you take once chance, on one band this year, please let it be Dry The River, they will simply blow you out of the water, or the river, if you will.

So far, Dry The River have released two singles, "No Rest" and "The Chambers & The Valves", and one four track E.P titled "Weights & Measures". They are due to release their album on March 5th 2012, and I can seriously say I am waiting with bated breathe. If the remaining tracks on the album are anything like the ones they have previously released, I would safely bet my entire life savings on the album being phenomenal. Have a listen yourself:

As you can guess, Dry The River's sound is pretty unique. It is Incredibly gutsy and full of heart. Their lyrics are fantastic, and the lead singer belts out some massive notes, especially in "Weights & Measures". The melodic rhythm somehow blends a slow stillness with a fast upbeat pace, and the result is beautiful. There is something so mesmerising about Dry The River the songs seem to penetrate the soul and relish in the heart. I first listened to the "Weights & Measures E.P" and from there, bought the "No Rest" single. When "Chambers & The Valves" was released the other day, I was over the moon at the sound that played through the headphones.  Their music is almost angelic, something I could easily imagine filling a church.

I'm going to be buying tickets to see this band live in Nottingham, because I know this might be their only small tour. I could see this band selling out Arenas, and I hope they do. I can imagine they'd put on a hell of a show. Believe me when I say Dry The River don't waste time making an impression. They hit you hard and fast, and their music will be something to remember. It'll definitely be something that I'll be listening to, for years to come. 

I'll be reviewing the album on 5th March, when I know I'll be in complete awe at it's brilliance. 

Vault #1 - Trains

"Time goes faster the more hollow it is. Lives with no meaning go straight past you, like trains that don’t stop at your station." - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I must admit, this idea might be a slight re-imagining of another. Basically, Room 101 is on the television and it got me thinking, what would I put in Room 101? What things annoy me in life more than other things? Which stuff coherently manages to frustrate me to the point where I want to scream at the top of my lungs? Well I've decided to make a segment on my blog, titled "Vault", where I can write about all the things in life that annoy me, and the first to make it's appearance in the "Vault" are Trains.


First of all, I should say that not all trains annoy me. I mean some trains are highly reliable, competent and do the job. It's just a shame that none of these trains seem to be in this country. That's right, England, I feel, has the worst train service in the world. Sure, I've only caught the train in a handful of countries, but in those countries, everything was handled so much more fluently and efficiently. I spent three months in Japan and in those three months I probably used thousands of trains, not one of them was late, or cancelled. It amazed me because in England, this is most likely the case when you catch a train.


There are reasons beyond that of lateness to be annoyed. The overpricing of tickets is another issue I feel that is overlooked. I wouldn't mind paying so much to go to London, but sometimes the service is so dire I feel like crying.  Trying to get as much as a smile from the ticket attendants is like trying to draw blood from a stone. Sometimes there is so much misery in the staff, I wonder how they got into a public service job in the first place. Add to this the over crowding. Some of these trains, the Leicester to Birmingham one for example, are so rammed I'm constantly being rubbed by strangers, and no, that is not a good thing. I mean, the company knows the train is busy in the morning so why more carriages aren't added is an idea that I cannot get my head around.


I am sure there are reasons to why some of these things are not remedied. Maybe it's to do with financing, but when ticket prices rise each year, and the only difference you see is a fresh coat of paint on a station's stair case, well, you start to wonder what it is you are paying for. Sure I've moaned a lot, but I guess there are things to be grateful for in trains. They are the fastest means of travel. The country is also becoming more and more accessible, meaning you can usually get from one place to the other via a train. Also, it beats driving where you have a lot more idiots on the road. I guess what I am getting at is there are positives, and we shouldn't forget those when we decide to have a moan about something. But unfortunately, there are too many small "fixable" issues with our rail service that leave most of us wondering, "why the hell don't we just walk? we'd probably get there quicker"

Review - The Woman In Black

"Give them pleasure. The same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare." - Alfred Hitchcock

I finally got around to watching The Woman In Black and I was genuinely quite pleased with it. First of all, I was shocked that the film was rated a 12A. I know if I was twelve, and I was watching that film, well, I might not have left the cinema screen with my heart still beating. I found the film to be horrific in every sense. Dark, scary, and taking every opportunity to scare the audience where possible. At one point I even let out an audible "yelp", which I'm certain the entire cinema screen heard. I wasn't embarrassed however, the film was genuinely scary, to the point where I even struggled with sleeping last night, well, a little bit anyway. 

The film has all the ingredients that make up a classic horror film. Tormented main character with a troubled past. Village in the middle of nowhere, where the villagers refuse to speak to the newcomer. Scary house on the marsh that seems to creak and moan at every turn. Chuck in a lot of darkness, night time scenes and a scary woman dressed in black and, you've guess it, you have The Woman In Black. However, what appears on the surface, isn't all the film has to offer, there are issues of troubled relationships, skepticism and even a little love & loss. 

The Woman In Black is based on the novel of the same name by Susan Hill. The book has seen a few adaptations ranging from a TV film, to even a stage show, that if anything made the book as popular as it is today. This film, the newest adaptation, varies a little from the book and the stage shows in terms of content and material, but just because it steers away from the book's story does not make it any less brilliant. The film starts with Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) leaving London to visit a small village where it is his job to deal with an estate that has been left by a woman that recently passed away. Arthur soon learns on his arrival that no one really wants to talk about the 'House on the Marsh' and are trying to usher Arthur out of the village before he has a chance to delve into it's history. As Arthur starts to unravel the mystery behind the house things start to darken as the appearance of the Woman in Black becomes more frequent, and more accidents throughout the village start to occur.

The Woman in Black herself, is terrifying. She always appears off at a distance, and because she hangs in the shadows, she only seems visible when she moves. Like a camouflaged demon, waiting to scare the hell out of the audience in such a calm way. There's something disturbing about a motionless woman, whose facial features aren't quite clear, staring at the main character, un-moving. It is quite horrible. Daniel Radcliffe plays the lead role very well, and I must admit, I never thought, "that's Harry Potter" whilst I watched Radcliffe throughout the film, well, I didn't think it often. There are moments when you feel for Kipps who, thanks to Radcliffe, is visibly scared throughout a lot of scenes.  The other thing that this film has stored in it's arsenal are wind-up toys. There are a few scenes where the toys just randomly spring into life, and they look horrible. There's something very eerie about a still room, no sound, nothing...then. BANG! A monkey toy starts shacking maracas. Rather horrible. 

Where the film let's itself down is the cast. Frankly the Woman in Black and Arthur Kipps are the only two characters that are any good. The other characters are your generic, stereotypical horror film rolls of demented ex-mothers,angry village folk and skeptical, stubborn gentlemen. There's a feeling of "fake-ness" to the rest of the characters, like the village is nothing more than a cardboard cut out- and the house on the marsh is the only real place in the scene. Also sometimes the story get's lost in translation, there's a lot of mystery surrounding the village's past and particularly what happened to the Woman In Black. They kind of clarify things in one-scene, and it almost feels like they rushed the meaning behind things, just so they can have more time to scare you, which I guess is always an issue with horror films.

The Woman In Black is one of the best horror films I have seen in a while.  It's a 12A and it scared me more than some 15 and 18 horror films I can think of. It's full on, and has a nice pace to it, that starts off slow, but leaves you praying for the finish towards the end. Daniel Radcliffe prevails as a lead character, and if anything, the flatness of the other characters only strengthen's his role. The Woman In Black, like I said earlier, has all the classic ingredients for horror film success, and the film delivers scares by the bucket full. Be warned however, The Woman In Black, has nothing to do with Men In Black, and if you go into the film expecting to see some slick-talking Will Smith, you might be left a little disappointed.