Album Review: Sohn - 'Tremors'

Sohn's debut full length 'Tremors' is a beautiful combination of melodic and harmonic vocals, groove heavy bass tones, electronica and indie. It sounds almost too accomplished for a debut as it is essentially flawless and uses it's production as a powerful tool and instrument, giving rhythmic patterns to vocal samples and twisting the idea of the original roles of various instruments.

All of this is kept under a simple banner of song structures that refrain from becoming to experimental or ambient, instead leaning towards pop sensibilities and relatively standard structures.

Opening tracks Tempest and The Wheel use their vocals as percussion, giving the music an acoustic feel within an electronic template. These openers are kept relatively low key, strong grooves but understated as a whole, this changes however upon Artfice which incorporates a dance beat, fuzz bass and an incredibly bright and catchy chorus.

The range and dynamics of the record show that Sohn can pretty much go anywhere with his music whilst ensuring things never become stale or repetitive. The album highlight is the gentle yet powerful Bloodflows, a beautiful song driven by its melody lines which are backed by gentle synths and erratic programming.

Things get a little sinister with the bass line of Fool, a track that is eventually overrun by huge synth lines before its electronic ballad like ending which leads into the synth percussion of Lights. The record closes with the intense pulsating patterns of Lessons and another highlight, Tremors, a song once again one over by it's simple melody lines and the combination of acoustic and electronic elements wrapped up by the simple sentiment, "If you're thinking of letting me go then it's time that you do."

Sohn has created one of the finest musical pieces of the year with 'Tremors,' a record that shows a unique understanding of musical composition, that is above all one over by its production and approach to the use of the instrument.

1. Tempest

2. The Wheel

3. Artifice

4. Bloodflows

5. Ransom Notes

6. Paralysed

7. Fool

8. Lights

9. Veto

10. Lessons

11. Tremors