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::k4:
a r t i s t :: Ought
t i t l e :: Sun Coming Down
d a t e :: 2015-00-00
l a b e l :: Constellation
g e n r e :: Alternative
s o u r c e :: CD
b i t r a t e :: 882 kbps avg
e n c o d e r :: FLAC 1.2.1 -8 -V
t r a c k s :: 8
p l a y t i m e :: 40:23
s i z e :: 253.7MB
tracklist
1 Men For Miles 5:44
2 Passionate Turn 5:18
3 The Combo 3:34
4 Sun's Coming Down 5:02
5 Beautiful Blue Sky 7:43
6 Celebration 3:11
7 On The Line 5:04
8 Never Better 4:47
releasenotes
Pop music was built on a whole lotta "yeah." Because saying "yeah" is the
most
casual, innocuous form of rebellionùthere is no easier way of showing you
donÆt give a fuck than abdicating the responsibility required to enunciate the
"s" in "yes." Seeing it through to the end is a show of diligence and
commitment. So when Ought singer-guitarist Tim Darcy drops a fulsome "yes" in
the middle of "Beautiful Blue Sky"ùthe spectacular centerpiece track of his
bandÆs sophomore album, Sun Coming DownùheÆs sure to savor it. Amid a song
whose chorus reads like a laundry list of 21st-century blights ("Warplane/
Condo/ New development") and excruciating water-cooler chit chat ("HowÆs the
family?/ How's your health been?/ Fancy seeing you here!")ùDarcy declares,
"IÆm no longer afraid to die/ Because that is all that I have left/ Yessssss,"
stretching out that last letter like pizza dough on a woodblock.
ItÆs an alarming admission, one that reads like the last will and testament of
somebody whoÆs been so numbed by the dispiriting, clockwork demands of modern
life that choosing death feels like the only empowering, self-actualizing move
at their disposal. But Darcy invests his "yes" with an ecstatic sense of
clarity, as if he was John Lennon meeting Yoko Ono for the first time. Though
Darcy is a poet whose voluminous verbiage often overwhelms his melodies, itÆs
no insult to say that simple "yes" is the greatest lyric heÆs writtenùbecause
it so perfectly crystallizes his bandÆs essence and purpose.
Ought make indie rock that sounds like how urbanity makes you feel: nervous,
antsy, sometimes hostile, yet intoxicatingly vibrant. And Darcy, likewise,
gesticulates like a dutiful office drone whoÆs played by the rules his whole
life but just canÆt take it anymore. OughtÆs 2014 debut, More Than Any Other
Day, was an album of slowly unfurled epiphanies, stoking simmering tension
into fiery, exultant release. Those sort of affirming moments are a little
harder to come by on the more chaotic and caustic Sun Coming Down, but the
albumÆs relentless drive and uncompromising attitude constitute their own
special kind of thrill. If More Than Any Other Day was about the hard-fought,
triumphant ascent, Sun Coming Down is the giddy, daredevil "wheeeeee!" down
the other side of the peak.
A lot has changed for Ought since the release of their first albumùnot the
least of which is their lead singerÆs surname. (Darcy was billed as Tim Beeler
the last time out.) More significantly, what was once a casual project among
university roommates was promoted to workhorse touring act, and Sun Coming
Down sounds like the sort of record that was hastily hashed out in between
transatlantic jaunts. But thatÆs not to suggest the album sounds unfinished or
is lacking focusùrather, the new album takes full advantage of OughtÆs fully
revved, road-tested engine and increased horsepower, in a
strike-while-the-ironÆs-hot move. Gone are the hazy ambient ballads, quirky
congeniality, and taut goose-stepped grooves that, on More Than Any Other Day,
counterbalanced the bandÆs wiry freneticism. Here, Ought doubles-down on their
oft-cited early-'80s Fall and late-'80s Sonic Youth reference points, handily
destroying any inkling you might have had about this band following the likes
of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah or Vampire Weekend into big-tent-indie territory.
Sun Coming DownÆs more aggressive attack pushes Darcy out of his usual
agitated-everyman mode to deliver more cryptic narratives in a theatrical
snarl that, at times, verges on Mark E. Smith karaoke. But while OughtÆs
influences may be obvious, youÆre never really sure where theyÆre taking them:
the fearsome rapid-fire rants, clanging guitar tangle and jackhammered drums
of "The Combo" turn oddly celebratory in the wake of the songÆs surprisingly
cheery chorus ("Jubilation, darling!"); the bee-swarm buzz and frantic
accelerations of "Celebration" are undercut by DarcyÆs wonderfully fey, Fred
Schneider-worthy exhortations ("Okay... letÆs do it!"). Other songs are
subjected to more abrupt change-ups: "On the Line" alternates between
ponderous tone poem and garage-punk rave-up, before settling into a sublime
third act that recalls the steady, galloping build-up of Patti SmithÆs
"Gloria", while "Passionate Turn"ùthe only time here Ought attempt to channel
the nocturnal grace of More Than Any Other DayÆs knockout ballad "Habit"ùturns
from swooning, stumbling serenade into a menacing, militaristic march for its
final verse/chorus run.
Even the songs that remain locked into formation undergo subtle yet
substantial mutations. The opening sprint of "Men for Miles" sees Darcy
rewriting his verse melody with each pass and, as the band lean their full
weight into the songÆs motorik momentum, his unyieldingly abrasive guitar
noise gives way to hypnotic, third eye-prying bliss. And the aforementioned
"Beautiful Blue Sky" may initially sound like OughtÆs answer to "Marquee
Moon", but spiritually speaking, itÆs their "Once in a Lifetime", a song that
paints a vivid picture of cubicle-bound 9-to-5 conformity before providing you
with the sledgehammer to smash it. The transmission may be a little more
distorted this time out, but, with Sun Coming Down, OughtÆs underlying message
is the same as it ever was: you have the power within you to change your lot
in life. When you feel like thereÆs no way out, just say "yes."
https://www.facebook.com/internetought
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Ought-Sun_Coming_Down-(CST1152)-CD-FLAC-2015-k4