Yo guys, it's Nite here! Today I bring you, as promised, an album review! Today's review comes from an English electronic producer and songwriter based in Vienna, named SOHN. SOHN, aka Christopher Taylor, has worked under this pseudonym since 2012, and has worked with other artists such as Lana Del Ray and BANKS. Anywho, he just recently put out an album on the 7th of April named Tremors. Due to a friend's request, I decided to give it a look over and review it both track by track and as a whole. Shall we begin?
1. Artifice
Upon hearing this track, I was immediately surprised and taken in by the sounds of the track. The drum beats, synths, and Taylor's Falsetto voice give the electropop-esque track quite a unique flavor that reminds me of something from Active Child, sans the etherial-ness and the ungodly high voice. Overall, definitely not a bad start-off for the album. 8/10.
2. Bloodflows
Bloodflows starts off slow and melodic, albeit a bit repetitive-sounding for my tastes. As it progresses, it builds up in energy, culminating in an interesting peak where everything just seems to go manic. Despite my reservations with the intro, this was undoubtedly one of my favorite tracks off the album. 9/10.
3. Fool
If Artifice is considered to be the upbeat, poppy track of the album, Fool seems to be almost the exact opposite. It's slow, dark, and lacks any real beat to carry it through. Don't let that decieve you into thinking it's bad, however. I find the darker touch to be quite enticing, especially with SOHN's vocals carrying on the track. 9/10.
4. Lessons
Lessons seems to be good and solid, much like the previous three. SOHN's vocals really do shine in this track, and the tune ends with some really awesome lyrics and vocal distortions that keep me addicted to the track. 8.5/10
5. Lights
Lights is airy and definitely intriguing for sure. The vocals are solid, and the bubbly beats are very easy on the ears for sure. The main issue here, however, is that it tends to be rather bland. It doesn't really gain my attention until around the halfway point, which I find irritating. 7/10.
6. Paralysed
As the track states, this track is paralyzed with a bland piano piece and uninspiring vocals. All in all, it's rather meh. 5/10.
7. Ransom Notes
Not going to lie, I absolutely adore this track. Again, definitely one of the shining tracks of the album, with its hypnotic beats and dark synthetic noise. I highly recommend listening to this track.
9.25/10.
8. Tempest
While not necessarily as upbeat as Artifice, Tempest carries a lot of vigor in its presentation. It's bold, yet seemingly laidback at the same time. All in all, another shining tune off the album. Too bad it's so tantalizingly short. 9.5/10
9. The Wheel
I like the concept of the track, as it does have potential. That being said, it feels too over the place for me to truly enjoy. The sounds are random and feel disjointing. I just can't get into this one.
6/10.
10. Tremors
Historically speaking, I do not usually enjoy album titled tracks,as they tend to be underwhelming. There are a few exceptions though (i.e. DJ Koze's Amygdala, Daft Punk's Human After All), and I can safely say that Tremors is now one of those exceptions. It's solid all the way through to the end, which, in my opinion, says quite a bit. 8.5/10.
11. Veto
Just as it is important to have a good opening track for an album, so too is it to have a good closing one so that the album doesn't leave a bad taste in your mouth. My feelings towards Veto are mixed. Yes, it is a decent song to end the album with, but at the same time, it would better be placed as a center track instead. Still, it doesn't spoil the mood of the album, so I guess I can let it slide. 7.5/10
Overall, the album is pretty solid. SOHN seems to provide us with an album worth listening to. The tracks are well produced, and SOHN's voice is excellent in almost every track. Of course there are some minor bugs in the album that definitely need kinking out. For one thing, the album lacks major variety, as almost every track sounds similar to one another if you listen to it long enough (with the exception of the opening track). Secondly, the album lacks a synergistic feel to it, meaning that the parts outweigh the whole. Aside from that, and the occassional 'meh' track, Tremors is definitely an album to check out, as the pros definitely outweigh the cons here.
Overall Album Rating: 8/10
-Nite
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