#84 - Sontag Shogun - Dawn Chorus
Sontag Shogun’s “Dawn Chorus” - how the Brooklyn trio transformed Thom Yorke’s minimalist meditation into a watercolored ambient reimagining, bridging Montreal, Los Angeles, and New York City in 2023.
I discovered this beautiful reimagining of Dawn Chorus via a Substack chat with Jeremy Young. I must admit it has a richer atmosphere than the original and is carefully crafted with well-chosen background sounds and synths. Enjoy!
Story Behind “Dawn Chorus”
The Four-Year Journey from Live Staple to Studio Release
“Dawn Chorus” emerged as the culmination of a four-year relationship between Sontag Shogun and Thom Yorke’s 2019 composition from his Anima album. Released November 15, 2023, the track represented what the trio calls a “one-off cover and reimagining” that had become a staple of their live shows throughout 2019. What began as spontaneous live interpretations gradually evolved into a fully realized studio version that captures the trio’s signature approach to transformation—taking a minimalist source and nurturing the seed of their source material into full-bloom.
Tri-City Collaboration and Musical Telepathy
The creation of “Dawn Chorus” required coordination across three major North American cities, with Jeremy Young, Jesse Perlstein, and Ian Temple collaborating between Montréal, Los Angeles and New York City. This geographic distribution reflects the reality of contemporary experimental music collaboration, where artists maintain individual bases while coming together for specific creative projects. The track demonstrates how distance can enhance rather than hinder collaboration when artists share deep musical understanding—what the trio has developed through over a decade of working together.
“Dawn Chorus” Recording and Production Details
Watercolored Piano and Divine Ambient Vocal Work
The production of “Dawn Chorus” centers on what Sontag Shogun describes as weaving watercolored piano notes and divine ambient vocal work. This aesthetic approach—using piano as painterly texture rather than rhythmic anchor—defines their reinterpretation. Ian Temple’s piano work provides the compositional foundation, while Jesse Perlstein’s treated vocals create what the band calls “divine ambient vocal work,” floating above the instrumental bed like morning mist. Jeremy Young’s tape treatments and oscillators add subtle textural layers that give the piece its dreamlike quality.
Lyrical Amalgamation and Creative Addition
The track features an amalgam of Yorke’s original writings and Perlstein’s added lyrics, creating a collaborative text that honors the source while expanding its thematic territory. This approach to covering—adding new lyrical content rather than simply reinterpreting existing words—reflects Sontag Shogun’s broader philosophy that transformation should be generative rather than merely reverential. The result feels less like a cover version and more like a conversation across time and artistic perspectives.
Notes About “Dawn Chorus” by Sontag Shogun
Release Date: November 15, 2023
Duration: 7:48 (Instrumental version)
Genre: Electroacoustic / Ambient / Neo-Classical / Experimental
Release Format: Single (3-track EP including instrumental and “Dusk Chorale”)
Original: Thom Yorke - “Anima” (2019)
Label: By Youngblood via Bandcamp
Live History: Performed throughout 2019 before studio recording
Sontag Shogun “Dawn Chorus” Era Band Details
Release Details
Title: Dawn Chorus (3-track single)
Tracks: 1. Dawn Chorus, 2. Dawn Chorus (Instrumental), 3. Dusk Chorale
Release Date: November 15, 2023
Recording Locations: Montréal, Los Angeles, New York City
Distribution: Bandcamp, major streaming platforms
Format: Digital release
Band Members/Personnel
Ian Temple - Piano, Organ, Composition
Jeremy Young - Tapes, Oscillators, Amplified Objects & Surfaces
Jesse Perlstein - Treated Vocals, Field Recordings, Electronics, Additional Lyrics
Collaboration: Thom Yorke (original composition)
Production Notes
Cover version that evolved from live performances over four years
Part of trio’s ongoing practice of reimagining canonical works
Released alongside instrumental version for different listening contexts
Includes bonus track “Dusk Chorale” as companion piece
Represents synthesis of trio’s work across three major North American cities
Follows acclaimed collaborative albums with Lau Nau (2022, 2025)
Interesting Facts About “Dawn Chorus”
The Lullanoise Pioneers and Genre-Defying Practice
Sontag Shogun describes themselves as a “Neo-Classical, Electroacoustic Lullanoise trio,” with “Lullanoise” serving as their self-coined term for music that exists between lullaby and noise, comfort and discomfort. “Dawn Chorus” perfectly exemplifies this aesthetic—the track’s gentle piano melodies and ambient vocals create a soothing surface, while subtle tape manipulations and electronic textures introduce elements of instability. The trio makes use of analog sound treatments and nostalgic solo piano compositions in harmony to depict abstract places in our memory, and their interpretation of Yorke’s already-minimalist composition strips it even further down to essential emotional resonance.
From Brooklyn Avant-Garde to International Collaboration
Since their 2014 debut album Tale, Sontag Shogun has evolved from a Brooklyn avant-garde ensemble into internationally recognized collaborators who have improvised with artists as diverse as Matana Roberts, Julia Kent, Oren Ambarchi, Greg Fox, and Tom Carter. Their “Dawn Chorus” release came between major collaborative projects with Finnish artist Lau Nau—Valo Siroutuu (2022) and Päiväkahvit (2025)—both recorded on the Finnish island of Kimitoön. This international perspective informs their approach to covering Yorke’s work: rather than treating it as untouchable canonical material, they engage with it as fellow travelers exploring similar emotional territories. The track’s success demonstrates how thoughtful reinterpretation can honor source material while creating something genuinely new—a principle that has defined Sontag Shogun’s decade-plus career of transforming found sounds, field recordings, and borrowed compositions into deeply personal artistic statements.