Ohms
Soul Jazz, 2020
9/10
A relatively new outfit from Tucson spearheaded by Daniel Martin Diaz and Damian Diaz, Trees Speak make quite an impression on this sophomore effort, where no wave, post-punk, Kraut-rock and psyche-rock meet at a very interesting junction.
After the atmospheric and prog inspired “Soul Sequencer” opens the listen with hypnotic keys illuminating the setting, “Nitrous Cross” follows with a cosmic, surreal delivery of mysteriousness, as does the mesmerizing and slightly haunting “Shadow Circuit”.
The middle tracks offer us the percussively strong “ State Of Clear”, which you could dance to, while “Sadness In Wires” is a brief jaunt into creative textures that point steeply towards post-punk. “Sleep Crime”, one of the album’s best, then takes the avant-garde route with unpredictable jazz ideas.
Some of the record’s most adventurous tunes reside near the end, including the somewhat ominous “Out Of View”, and “Silicone Emotions” makes great use of a synth in a nostalgic climate. “Witch Wound” exits the listen soft and soulful, then builds into a cinematic display of incredible dynamics between the talented players.
Certainly carrying on the grand tradition of exciting music from the Tucson area, Trees Speak absolutely deserve to be spoken in the same sentence as Giant Sand or Calexico, as Ohms is one of the strongest records of 2020.
Travels well with: Tangerine Dream- Ricochet; Neu!- Neu! ‘75