On their widely acclaimed 2014 debut album, More Than Any Other Day, Ought lead singer and guitarist Tim Darcy proved himself a master of observational detail, finding purpose and humour in everyday, mundane activities like grocery shopping.
Those who fell in love with Darcy's dry wit and the Montreal band's tightly constructed decoupage of indie rock, no wave and post-punk on the first record or their follow-up EP Once More With Feeling will find plenty to love on Sun Coming Down. Recorded at Montreal's Hotel2Tango with Jerusalem In My Heart's Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, the eight tracks are slightly more restrained in tempo than previous efforts (most notably "Passionate Turn"), but still bristle and burst with energy in the right places ("Men For Miles" and "Celebration").
At the heart of the album is the slow-burning, seven-minute cathartic anthem "Beautiful Blue Sky," a long-time fan favourite finally getting a proper release. While the song name-checks markers of consumerism, gentrification and political unrest, it's ultimately optimistic, with Darcy cathartically declaring "I am no longer afraid to die, because that is all that I have left".
It's the best song Ought's recorded to date, and a prime example of the attention to detail they take, which separates them from their contemporaries. Even though they're no longer catching anybody by surprise, Sun Coming Down is a confident, mature sophomore album that cements the quartet's reputation as one of Canada's most exciting new bands.
(Constellation)Those who fell in love with Darcy's dry wit and the Montreal band's tightly constructed decoupage of indie rock, no wave and post-punk on the first record or their follow-up EP Once More With Feeling will find plenty to love on Sun Coming Down. Recorded at Montreal's Hotel2Tango with Jerusalem In My Heart's Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, the eight tracks are slightly more restrained in tempo than previous efforts (most notably "Passionate Turn"), but still bristle and burst with energy in the right places ("Men For Miles" and "Celebration").
At the heart of the album is the slow-burning, seven-minute cathartic anthem "Beautiful Blue Sky," a long-time fan favourite finally getting a proper release. While the song name-checks markers of consumerism, gentrification and political unrest, it's ultimately optimistic, with Darcy cathartically declaring "I am no longer afraid to die, because that is all that I have left".
It's the best song Ought's recorded to date, and a prime example of the attention to detail they take, which separates them from their contemporaries. Even though they're no longer catching anybody by surprise, Sun Coming Down is a confident, mature sophomore album that cements the quartet's reputation as one of Canada's most exciting new bands.