A WHISPER IN THE NOISE: Dry Land

A Whisper in the Noise

Dry Land

© 2007 Exile on Mainstream (881850083425)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

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LIMITED-EDITION IMPORT FROM GERMANY

notes

Dry Land is something very special. A Whisper In The Noise's third full-length album is a striking and artistic piece of work, full of dark stories drawn on a wide canvas, and sculpted by instruments rarely heard outside of classical compositions. The songs themselves are haunting, funereal, almost oppressive; stripped of vocals, this would make fine incidental music for some Southern Gothic movie biopic, full of mouldering clapboard houses and swamp-bound secrets.

Powerful songwriting means that the material is authentically weighty while almost entirely avoiding the traditional hallmarks of heavy music – there are no distorted walls of guitar, no thundering drums, no screaming vocals, but the music still presses into the air around you like a blanket of smoke. Think of Trent Reznor's more thoughtful and subtle tunes – the instrumentation may be different, but there's a distinct similarity in the emotional content. Dry Land is a journey into the centre of selfhood – and human psychology being what it is, that's no sun-soaked picnic day-trip.

Instead, an array of classical instruments deliver a tonal pallet that evokes introspective melancholia with an edge of fragile beauty; when Steve Albini produces a record, you can never be sure quite what you're going to get, but here he has helped birth a thing of great beauty. Guitars are plucked or gently strummed; piano notes ring out in low registers, or play slow riffs and arpeggios that mark of the passing of the seconds like drops of rain or dead flower petals falling to the floor in dusty rooms; brass and string tones paint layers of depth and emotion, subtle textures like the audio equivalent of sepia-tint photography, exchanging bright hues of colour for ever-more-subtle gradations of light and shade. Over all of this, West Thordson's plaintive broken vocals stitch tales of loss and confusion into the weave. It's stunning, evocative, and very moving.

I hope I've made it clear that this isn't a cheery album, but it is a work of sheer brilliance, nonetheless. If you're after bright and sparkly pop music, or even the straight-up energy of rock and metal, stay on the train – Dry Land is not your stop, and you will find nothing to slake your thirst here. But if you like to wander the wilderness, confronting the beautiful bleakness of the human condition, listen closely for A Whisper In The Noise. The landscape will speak to you if you let it – and you should.

5 out of 5 stars
By: Paul Raven

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  • Something dark and beautiful
    author: Matt Parmenter

    It starts out with a building, intense lament, then settles into a dark mood that flows through the length of the album, finally promising that True Love Will Find You In The End...but after the rest of the album you're left with a kernel of doubt about the truth of the statement. It's a magnificent post-breakup album when you're looking to get into your own dark mood and really enjoy it.

  • Best Album I bought this year!!
    author: Tim

    This is a gem of an album, i would say they have influences of sigur Ros, NIN, Katatonia. There are no weak songs on this album

  • excellence.
    author: MiKe

    AWITN keep cranking out some of the best records the Twin Cities has to offer, yet remain internationally viable. This album comes from Germany, soon to be released stateside. Buy this one if you want the limited edition packaging. I gave up on getting it from them in town, I think the purchase was well worth it. If you loved the haunting, clever and alluring texture/sound/feel of "As The Bluebird Sings", "Dry Land" is bound to sweep you off your feet and create an even darker landscape of film score to the movie in your mind's eye. Support this, Steve Albini has given his merit and I think his word is worth it's weight in gold.

  • author: justin

    i luv everything this band does. Infact I haven't been stoked on music since 1993 until I heard this group's first album.

  • If you like anything out of the ordinary, BUY THE BLOODY CD!!!
    author: Hannah Filkins

    This album is amazing. I love everything about it, and this band. I can't believe they actually came to my ghetto hometown, Brainerd, and I didn't even see them. This band is one of the most far out, unique bands I have ever laid ears to! I don't know about you, but I'm sick of the same old same old. How about adding some new instruments and new or strange ways of creating music with them? How each instrument in this band, including West's voice, is completely out of the ordinary and unique in every aspect. If you like strange and unique, I tell ya', BUY THE BLOODY CD!!!

  • if you like dark or not...buy it!
    author: David Sommer

    Yes, this is a dark album full of rainy day music reminiscent of a personal apocalypse yet to come, but it also shines, drives, and meanders with the versatility and subtlety that any mature band should possess. The allusions to NIN aren't unwarranted but they're only relevant regarding the general mood and attitude of the music. West, the mastermind behind AWITN, generally prefers organic composition to rigid electronic structure. Only stepping out of line when they are called upon by West, every instrument seems to know its place. So no, this album is not intended to be joyous or reminiscent of perfect spring days, but if you've ever down, even for a minute, this band will absolutely strike a chord with you.

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