The job of the music reviewer isn’t simply to pass judgement on whether or not an album’s good or not, but ideally, the critic should convey something of the listening experience. It’s all well and good pontificating in abstract terms to show off one’s literary prowess, but it’s not much use if the reader is left without any sense of what it actually sounds like., or even if it’s dance or metal.
Only, when it comes to Ought’s latest album, it’s one hell of a challenge. It’s got guitars, drums, bass. It’s got vocals that aren’t quite spoken but aren’t really dung either. It ain’t indie, but it’s not rock, punk or new wave, and instead, ‘Sun Coming Down’ only really slots into the broad field of ‘alternative’, while drawing on elements of no-wave, noise rock and post-punk in the process.
Taken as a whole, ‘Sun Coming Down’ is gloriously skewed, and at times there’s so much going and flying in all directions that it borders on jazz – but of course, it ain’t jazz either. The bass rolls and warps, pulling away from the clanging guitars. Pavement and The Fall offer the most obvious comparisons, with the rickety semi-chordant racket of the seminal ‘Hex’ being filtered through Equally, though, think the art rock of Talking Heads and the wonky DIY stylings of Toiling Midgets.
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‘Beautiful Blue Sky’ juxtaposes a gloriously sunny musical backing with a twitchy vocal spiel that sees Tim Darcy come on like the lovechild of Mark E Smith and Iggy Pop. ‘Celebration’ is a sprawling, jarring effort that calls to mind ‘No Xmas for John Quays’, but equally the spirit of early PiL.
Ultimately, the comparisons only go so far in terms of indicating what ‘Sum Coming Down’ sounds like, because the fact of the matter it’s a unique album. Twisted, slanting and enchanting, it’s truly a cracker.
Ought Online
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