Ought
Sun Coming Down
CONSTELLATION
7/10
“I am no longer afraid to die / ’Cause that is all that I have left, yes / And I am no longer afraid to dance tonight / ’Cause that is all that I have left, yes.” So ends Sun Coming Down’s strong Song of the Year candidate “Beautiful Blue Sky.” In this quatrain we witness the ordinary heart and hope at the center of Ought’s sophomore album. Singer/guitarist Tim Darcy’s yawp-drawl has been sharpened into a powerful tool. The full force of his focused talent is apparent from the start in kinetic album opener “Men For Miles,” which moves seamlessly into the slow burning “Passionate Turn.” Yes, it’s obvious that The Fall, Wire, Pavement, and a few others are where the Montreal post-punkers are cribbing their playbook from, but they aren’t stealing—they’re learning and making something immediate and new out of all that’s left of the faded genre that they love. They’re not afraid, and you shouldn’t be either.
