ON DRY LAND

Well these Dutchmen do have a sense of humour. They took their band name from a line in the first "Naked Gun" movie. The lyrics and the music are more serious though. These guys have plenty of chops with a great vocalist, and i've really enjoyed this album a lot. The bass is noteworthy, I mean it's the most dominant instrument most of the time.

"Culley On Bleeker Street" opens with the sounds you would hear on a downtown New York City street. See the album cover for the visual. You hear horns, jackhammers, sirens and the sound of traffic. The music builds and kicks in around 1 1/2 minutes. The bass is massive ! It settles after 2 minutes with mellotron-like sounds and fat bass lines. Vocals come in. The tempo picks back up before 3 minutes as contrasts continue. The guitar is excellent 5 1/2 minutes in. "Oversight" is one of my favs with that line "Could it be it's an oversight ?" repeated on and off throughout. It opens with keyboards and check out the killer bass. Good contrasts in this one too. I like the guitar that grinds away 3 1/2 minutes in. "Wintersong" is my favourite. I can so relate to the lyrics even though were just in Fall now, I know very well how i'll be dreaming of Summer in a couple of months. The line "I'd sell my soul for summer" is a line many of us Canadians have at least thought of (haha). The guitar comes in quikly and dominates. Great sound ! Almost spoken vocals to open as bass and drums come in. Passionate vocals 3 1/2 minutes in. So moving. An absolutely incredible tune.

"Hope You Don't Mind" opens with some atmosphere as reserved vocals come in. Drums and a fuller sound before 2 1/2 minutes. It kicks in heavily before 4 minutes. Nice. The organ is great 6 1/2 minutes in as vocals stop. "Like This" has a good heavy beat to open and it kicks in around a minute.The bass is digging deep then the vocals come in before 1 1/2 minutes. Themes are repeated. The guitar takes off after 4 1/2 minutes. "Where The River Runs" really puts the focus on this amazing vocalist. A nice lush backdrop here as well. It's fuller on the chorus.The guitar makes some noise before 6 minutes and goes on and on as the drums pound away. Nice. "We Are The Sun" has some really good contrasts throughout. More huge bass lines here. Some tasteful guitar 2 1/2 minutes in.

For me this is an easy 4 stars. A pleasant surprise.