Album Review

Sonny – Tyhe Spirit Of Elegy

• 29th Aug 2008

Prepare yourselves for an album so far detached from anything else this year that it makes Sigur Ros sound like The Pigeon Detectives. The term ‘concept album’ doesn’t do Sonny justice, as these 10 ‘compositions’ go to show.

‘The Spirit of Elegy’ dares to go further than most artists will endeavour, comprising music which relies not on lyrics or hooks, but on the minimalist combinations of sounds. I know it’s becoming a cliché, but Sonny is one artist who truly does use the voice as another instrument.
Admittedly the album will not be to everyone’s taste, with opener ‘The Mourning Mist’ in particular likely to prove a challenge to the attention spans of the NME generation, but Sonny seems to grow in confidence as the album progresses, rewarding the listener with increasingly ambitious music which shows a level of versatility not necessarily foreseeable on the strength of the first two or three tracks.

Although it is difficult to wholly appreciate ‘The Spirit of Elegy’ without listening to it in its entirety, certain tracks do stand out. Most notably, Light Houses for the Desolate, which could be likened to a pared down version of Interpol’s already minimalist ‘The Lighthouse’ (if such a thing is possible).

Sure the album drags at times, and sure some people would rather listen to something average that they know they like rather than challenge themselves with something different for fear of disappointment, but Sonny offers us a chance to listen to something unique, and in an environment where popular music often lacks originality, this is refreshing if nothing else.