Ought – Sun Coming Down (Constellation Records; 2015)
Evoking Television by way of Talking Heads and Wire, comparisons were unavoidable on Ought’s promising debut, More Than Any Other Day; what it lacked in general originality it made up for in spades in personality, delivering an impressive, nervy and succinct art punk package. Sun Coming Down finds the Montreal-based band truly coming into their own, delivering a more refined post-punk suite popping with jagged, angular riffs and dripping with raucous, textured backdrops, never veering too far in either extreme. Singer/guitarist Tim Beeler Darcy remains as eccentric and electrifying as ever, muttering his way through songs as if David Byrne were fronting Joy Division; his vocal performance on “Beautiful Blue Sky”, the album’s towering centerpiece, is simply astounding. Though less springy than its predecessor, Sun Coming Down serves as an exhilaratingly concise example of Ought’s prowess and maturation within their field. This is economic art punk of the highest order.
Trial Track: “Beautiful Blue Sky”
Rating: 8/10
