We’re sinking deeper for “Ought”

By Patrick Cameron

Canadian based art-punk band ‘Ought’ are back on the road with the imminent release of their second album. 

Tuesday night saw Montreal based band ‘Ought’ come to Luxembourg for the first time, playing as part of the month long Congés Annulés festival at Rotondes.

Bursting onto the scene last year with their critically acclaimed debut album ‘More Than Any Other Day’,‘Ought’ became the underground buzz band delighting audiences wherever they went. With their off kilter melodies and Velvet Underground inspired drones, add in some of Tim Darcy’s (who official changed his name from Tim Beeler this year) delightfully charming observational lyrics and half spoken/half song vocals and you have a recipe for an album which landed on many year-end lists.

Like most bands coming through Luxembourg over the summer they are in the middle of festival season and festival sets, so I’m sure it’s a welcome change to proceedings to play their own show where they can test out some of the new material on their own fans.

Will they be able to build on the hype and cement themselves as an indie mainstay or fall away like so many others?

Well on Tuesday night’s evidence it looks like they haven’t changed the winning formula too much. If anything maybe just rounded off a few edges but still managing to keep the raw energy that makes them so exciting.

Darcy drew a lanky figure as he walked on stage, somewhat reminiscent of Jarvis Cocker. But any notion of Britpop was quickly forgotten as he juts and moves around as they kick into ‘Pleasant Heart’ anoff balance angular post-punk sound. They continued with the urgency with the ‘Weather Song’ before dropping in their first track off the new album with ‘Beautiful Blue Sky’, it holds up seamlessly to anything from their debut but with some more playful guitar licks binding the song together whilst it ebbs and flows.

It’s back to their debut with ‘Today More Than Any Other Day’, a slow building track interspersed with the light shades of Darcy’s angular guitar sound, whilst he slowly delivers ‘We’re sinking Deeper’ chant over and over, accelerating until the downbeat message becomes somewhat joyous at the crescendo and Darcy jumpsaround the stage. It’s hard not to draw comparisons to David Byrne in his movements and lyrical delivery and the likes of Television and Velvet Underground in their sound but all of this combined equates to a compelling show.

One of the highlights of the night came from another of the new tracks ‘Sun’s Coming Down’, it’s probably the biggest departure from their debut from what I’ve heard so far but has a more concise groove and fuller sound, whilst keeping everything that sets ‘Ought’ apart from their contemporaries.

On last nights showing it sounds like ‘Ought’ might have been able to avoid the difficult second album curse, only time will tell but there looks to be enough of a progression to keep you excited whilst not veering off to far from what works.

Take a read of Patrick Cameron's other reviews in his very own dossier:   Patrick's concert news & reviews 

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