Since James Blake’s 2013 Mercury Prize win for ‘Overgrown’, a particular category of electronica has risen to prominence. It has a more minimal aesthetic, tends to champion production and sound design over songwriting, and lends itself incredibly well to commercial synchronisation (read: adverts). Mainly, that’s because it sounds edgy but actually isn’t.
It’s basically hipster easy listening, and the producers themselves are generally white guys with laptops (see Bonobo, Mount Kimbie and - spiritually - Bon Iver). That reading may sound hostile, but there’s balance here too. Generally, examples of this genre also present a degree of production nous and technical expertise that is impressive and ’Rennen’ - the Vienna-based multi-instrumentalist Sohn’s second album - is truly excellent work. Hipster easy listening it is, but it’s delivered with boldness, love and intelligence.
We open with Hard Liquor, which marries a bluesy vocal hook with intricate dance drums and dynamic synths. This setup is effective, and forms the bedrock of the album, with Sohn's agile tenor acting as a precise and human guide through the digital labyrinth. His voice is one of the strongest elements and is mixed, auto-tuned and harmonised with distinction and taste.
The focus on vocal blend on ‘Rennen’ might relate to Sohn’s own mandate. Commenting ahead of the release, he said: “I think I've had a tendency in the past to overthink the sounds and the layers out of some kind of fear, whereas this time I forced myself to only add those three main elements in each track and make sure the song itself was good enough.”
For the most part, this works tremendously well. Tracks like Conrad, Harbour and Falling carry off enormously catchy melodies alongside multi-dimensional percussion and tonal switcheroos, while the lead single, Signal - which arrived accompanied by a video featuring zombie destroyer-in-chief Milla Jovovich - is a song of calm sophistication, with a host of handsome production flourishes that elevate watery lyrics.
And that’s where the hipster easy listening sound comes back problematically. This album is superb, but its elegance is sometimes undermined by a lack of tangible emotional handles. Spiritually, ‘Rennen’ is a rich album full of ideas, but it’s also strangely uninspiring - one is not really motivated to see Sohn live, for example. It still feels like dance music that does not make you want to dance.
Sohn Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed March 01 2017 - LONDON Electric Brixton
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