Album Review: Colour Theory by Submotion Orchestra

On their fourth album, UK electronic group Submotion Orchestra chose to focus on the wide-ranging musical talents of each of its seven members. An immensely polished collection of tracks that fuse ambient electronica, dub and jazz, Colour Theory has a very emotional, human side to it, expressed through vocals that explore one's place in the universe. Colour Theory's essence is that of introspection, carried by lyrical and instrumental poeticism.Off the bat, with opening track "Jaffa" (featuring Still), Submotion Orchestra prove that their intention with the LP is to be radically different.

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This Leeds-based, seven-piece dubstep outfit made their name creating jazz-flecked, bass-heavy records, but for their fourth album, they edge closer to IDM (intelligent dance music). Frontwoman Ruby Wood, who recently gave birth, takes a back seat, her sultry voice appearing on only three tracks. The band have enlisted the help of equally beguiling vocal talents, most notably soul singer Andrew Ashong, whose folksy lilt on Needs makes the track an album standout.

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If there’s one thing that’s clear from Colour Theory, it’s this: Submotion Orchestra is not quite the band they once were. Their newest full-length is, for the most part, full of vibrant melodies and pop hooks up the wazoo, a stark departure from the blunted dubstep-jazz fusion that propelled them to stardom five years ago. Though there’s still quite a lot of subdued, bass-heavy architecture to be found here, Submotion Orchestra builds on their traditional foundations with a lot more midrange and treble delectability than might have been found on their previous offerings.

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