Nedry

Condors, Monotreme

By Will Stevens

With the ever growing commercial success of British dance music, it seemed inevitable that it would infiltrate the establishing pop sound of 2010. This album follows exactly that pattern, demonstrating a three piece band with an obvious understanding of classic guitar based tunes which, incidentally, have also had a ‘dance makeover’.

The album works as a journey through the Nedry sound, and there is an obvious beginning, middle and end, improving as the album develops. The opening tracks ‘A42’ and ‘Apples & Pears’ exhibit their dubstep influences so obviously  it sounds forced, probably to fit in with the rest of the 2010 gang. These songs are not bad, just a little too obvious; the female vocals sound fresh and fit in with the eerie tone of the beats, which sound almost Burial-like.

By track four, it does seem that the group have controlled their influences and started to find their own sound. It starts with ‘Squid Cat Battle’, which combines a solid guitar riff with an electronic two-step styled beat and a heavy bassline. Album highlight ‘Scattered’ pushes the winning formula further, with a jungle/garage-sounding beat which controls the record with its vast array of glitchy guitar samples and riffs layered on top. Nedry have used dance music and marked their own style all over the record, giving it a really interesting, progressive sound.

This debut is held back at times by its obvious influences, which at times sound generic and dull. But with tracks such as ‘Scattered’ and ‘Where the Dead Birds Go’, it’s easy to to appreciate their sound. What Nedry highlight is that if bands are using dance influences as eagerly as this album does, then 2010 should be a really creative and exciting year. (7)