SOHN, Tremors – album review
SOHN is a British producer from South London who moved to Vienna in 2010 to focus on crafting his “electronic soul” sound. Probs a good move given the city’s predisposition for electronic music. He’s said that his music is inspired by the mountains near his home in juxtaposition with the busy mile-a-minute lifestyle of the Viennese cityscape, which makes sense, as there is a lot of variety in sounds on his debut album Tremors.
The synth clicks, pops and whirrs on Tremors’ opener Tempest have an almost vintage feel to them, reminding me of some more somber synth tracks from the 80’s. The hiccupping beats on each track seem to illustrate a strange animal with many different legs, stumbling but never losing its footing, as if the only thing preventing it from falling over was its projection forwards. The music moves, but at its own pace. SOHN’s music and lyrics are very ernest indeed and I can’t help feeling sorry for this animal I am thinking of, or picturing it having a sad time most of the time. If you’ve had a bad day and want to wallow in your sadness for a while longer before getting on with it, chuck this on when you get home. Don’t let anyone see you cursing that asshole from highschool who you never levelled the score with though. It’s irrelevant and you’re on a tangent man, you’re better looking than he/she is now you’re grown up anyway.
Call me cynical but I feel like a lot of teenage girls are gonna play this while reading some classic novel they don’t understand, drinking green tea and burning incense. Don’t get me wrong though, a musician’s audience shouldn’t necessarily sully his artistic ventures – having said this, if you are a dude in your early 20’s who likes his manly Nick Cave sessions, you will know what I’m talking about when you give this record a spin. But I know a lot of grown men and women will enjoy Tremors as well. The record is quite mature in its production, from the bouncy Wheels right through to the swaying leviathan of Veto; SOHN has made some authentically contemplative electronic music on his debut album. I shall anticipate the sequel with an itch.
Tremors review by Jamhound.
