Trees Speak, the mostly instrumental experimental project headed up by Tucson, Arizona musicians Daniel Diaz and Alexis Elias, first appeared in the form of a sprawling self-titled album in 2017, which was a rhythmically charged and largely improvised affair that curated its heady atmospheres from the influence of Ennio Morricone soundtracks, Krautrock repetition, and jazzy cut-ups akin to Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis. Sophomore album Ohms delivers different shades of the band's vision, with an approach more reliant on electronics and quickly shifting moods than their more organic debut. The album points to many familiar reference points without simply reworking established classics. Opening track "Soul Sequencer" is built on a by-the-numbers krautrock beat, straightforward and hypnotic in a way that immediately recalls Neu! or Amon Düül II. Instead of filling out the song with other Krautrock elements, the band opts for sinister synth tones and scratchy guitars reminiscent of This Heat. This takes the atmosphere from the often blissed-out soaring of Krautrock into far darker places. Similarly, the driving bass and dead drums of "Out of View" are in keeping with the more uneasy moments of Brian Eno's pop instrumentals until Trees Speak take an abrupt left turn into distant chimes and flute sounds. Ohms is a collection of fragments, most of which take a different form than the last. The band moves between vaporous synth arpeggios on "Blame Shifter," creepy horror movie soundtrack tones on "Nobody Knows," melancholic rock grooves on "Sadness in Wires," and Cluster-esque synth minimalism on "Silicone Emotions." Most of the songs are short, with many fading into the next idea before the two-minute mark. In this way, the sequencing on Ohms is an integral part of the listening experience. Taken one at a time, the songs are interesting fragments and mood pieces. Experienced as an album-length statement, Ohms takes on a consistent mood of disquiet. Whether zooming through full-band freakouts or taking the form of spare synth instrumentals, Trees Speak masterfully funnel all of their various styles into a cohesive atmosphere that relies on heavy tension and the rare occasional moment of release or hopefulness. While almost any of the pieces can stand on their own, the cumulative effect of the album is how Trees Speak really sink their hooks into the listener. The songs take a multitude of shapes and directions, but there's a lone voice of worry and apprehension whispering in your ear the entire time.
© Fred Thomas /TiVo