District Somnium

It's a shame District Somnium resides in the Midwest. We really want to check them out live, and soon. Their first album, Animus mixes some reverb-heavy digital neon pop-punk/rock with singer Adam Sabh's Jason Lytle-like harmonious intones making for a tender sound that's both warm and haunting. Songs like "Harbor" sound like they were written for late night drunk sessions in places far from your sad reality.

This fivesome very clearly put everything they had into their first independent recording. Nothing's left back and we'd like to see 'em do it live. So come on out east, dudes. Live a little. - Origivation Magazine

As any of my readers would know I only write about music I like and am currently enjoying, which is exactly why I am writing about District Somnium, the basement band from Chicago.

My first reaction was one of nostalgia, which is strange considering the life span of the group, but they remind me of the indie/post punk I was listening to throughout high school. Their EP is driven and full of great harmonies and the lead singer, Adam, sings with what is obvious as his entire being. It is clear that the band has put everything they have (emotionally) into their music. The album is far from lazy and is full of foot thumping hooks a la The Fratellis, The Arctic Monkeys, Band of Horses, and one of my all-time favourites, My Morning Jacket. It is raucous, fun, party music not to be taken overly seriously, but enjoyed at the basest level. Let your inhibitions go, stomp to the beat and as always…

Enjoy. - The Subjective Listener

Chicago up & comers District Somnium have just released their new masterfully crafted EP, “Heading East.” With strong resemblances to Band of Horse, their sound is brash, meaningful and unique. The band’s true talent and creativity is shining throughout the EP with memorable melodies and gang vocals bringing a fresh approach to the rock scene. The organic, yet powerful chords will hit close to home for indie rock fanatics. Give “Heading East” a listen here or on iTunes. You won’t be disappointed. I leave you with the music video for the fourth track on the EP; Across The Pond. - Glow Fest

Complexity as it applies to song writing can be a slippery slope. Come in too light on the simplicity scale and people miss the point as your music leaves the listener unfulfilled with its hollow, empty sound. Come in too complicated and you end up with a jumbled mess of noise. But if you can get the sound dialed in and deliver it with just the right mixture of familiar, new, and unique; you enter the realm that rock songwriting legends are made of. “Heading East” by District Somnium leaves your speakers damn close to that level of perfection.

The Chicago Rock quintet are onto something with “Heading East”, their five song EP that released last September. They’ve assembled a well crafted barrage of sound packed with a depth and complexity that is seldom seen from the emerging Rock ranks. It's evident from the start as a multitude of blended instruments accompany the swanky, almost Latin rhythm on “Swamp”. District Somnium boldly opens their EP with a plethora of attention getting percussion sounds and bellowing vocals. This exotic trek quickly builds into an imposing, assaulting guitar riff that takes the song to a whole other level. The best way to describe “Swamp” would be to compare it to a more subdued version of The Mars Volta without the incomprehensible screaming. There is so much sound going on within the song that is so perfectly blended together that it’s almost impossible to pick it all out (Aside from the perfectly tempered guitar solo that closes out the track). Without question, “Swamp” is on another plane from anything I’ve heard in a long time. If this opening track doesn’t captivate you into wanting to explore the rest of “Heading East”, just download some audio books for your iPod because apparently music isn’t your thing.

DS continues their journey of intricate sounds with an upbeat start on “Little One”. Entering with an energetic beat, District Somnium asks “So who can tell me what its like to live free? Absolutely no one ya see”. Add in a few horns after the chorus to again push the complexity scale up with some keen attention to sonic detail, and you’re left with a memorable two and half minute song. Equally intriguing is the edgier track “Vagabond”. Showcasing some fantastic vocal harmonies, “Vagabond” throws caution to the wind musically as the lyrics are busy telling the same story. The song is packed with time changes that shift like the breeze ensuring that the song ends up far from where you thought it would, especially as the last ‘Oh Vagabond!” is cried out. Nothing that District Somnium does is down the easy road or what you expected, but the results exceed anything you could have seen coming.

“Across the Pond” is the lightest fare you’ll find on the EP. I found that this song felt appropriately scaled back from the intricacies of a few of the earlier tracks. For me this left the lyric “Everything I've lost is everything I've gained’’ to be a revealing formula for the musical direction of the song. There is an art to knowing when to push the envelope and when to scale it back. “Across the Pond” appropriately resides in the latter. Outside of some skilled drum work and a few ambient, mellow guitar tones, this song is simple and refined.

“Mustache On Purpose” closes out the EP with a beat and vocal harmony in the chorus that reminded me of something off of “The Joshua Tree”. The track is a reflection on another time, a passion filled rehashing of past transgressions that winds down with one last taste of the instrumental complexity that opened “Heading East”.

“Heading East” isn’t what you think of when you think of music from emerging rock artists. It is written, polished, mixed, and produced at a level that few bands can achieve at the composing level. There are a lot of great undiscovered musicians out there, but musicians and bands with the ability to construct this type of sound and apply it in the precise fashion that District Somnium has are few and far between. - Rocksposure.com

This local band is destined to shock music fanatics with eloquent soundwaves that will not only entice eardrums, but sprout the deepest seeds of inspiration in any listener. Keep your ears pealed for this honest sound’s emergence in the ever growing sea of underground music. The debut album “Animus” is sure to gain it’s presence on ipods all around."

-Audacious Entertainment


- Audacious Entertainment

Taking cues from Muse and Glasvegas, District Somnium writes unabashedly emotional, stadium-worthy rock anthems. Electrifying dynamics and soaring melodies lead to cathartic choruses, and Adam’s (no last name) vocal delivery has the earnest yearning that instantly evokes both windswept mountaintop vistas and crushing heartbreak. “Sunseekers” and “Regain Your Soul” start as mild-tempered songs, but eventually crank up the intensity, and wind up as roiling epics. “Family Nectar” floats along gently until it blows up with crushing guitars and heart-thumping vocals. (www.myspace.com/districtsomnium)
– Patrick Conlan - Illinois Entertainer