By: Gareth Watkin
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Released on October 28, 2014 via Constellation Records
Indie-rockers Ought return with their new EP release ‘Once More With Feeling…’. Made up of mostly re-workings of the band’s debut LP release, Ought showcase even more of their phenomenal indie-rock style, offering unbridled energy and passion that is unseen in most acts within this genre. ‘Once More With Feeling…’ only offers us four tracks, though we’re offered equal levels of brilliance as what the band’s debut album release, and a bit more as well! Ought’s reworking of their original EP release tracks might come across as better-recorded versions, though there are some new ideas being demonstrated by the band that showcase even more creativity than the original recordings ever did.
‘Once More With Feeling…’ opens up with the newly recorded version of the band’s debut effort opener ‘Pill’, featuring much of the same arrangement and structure, though seemingly featuring much more presence as an act. This follows through into the re-working of ‘New Calm Part.2’ which demonstrates the band’s phenomenal confidence and charisma in perfect style, perhaps more perfectly than the debut effort ever did. What really stands out though on ‘Once More With Feeling…’ is the EP’s third track ‘New Calm Part.3’, featuring an odd semi-improvisational and highly experimental deconstruction of the EP’s entire notion. The whole track seems to go the complete opposite way to every other version of the track, sounding more like everything slowing down to a standstill. The track perhaps doesn’t demonstrate much energy or grandeur as the EP’s other tracks, though it does showcase more capabilities from the band, showing more range in terms of what they can offer.
Ought’s latest release might not impress those unfamiliar with the band’s work, sounding like a rather crazy mix of peculiar Talking Heads-esque indie-rock tunes. Those familiar with Ought’s work, though, will find a lot to enjoy from the band, who offer incredible energy and incredible creativity on their rather short EP release. It seems since the band’s debut effort, and its more-or-less additional EP, that Ought are a band who are clearly going places, and fast. With everything the band has been working for, and has produced thus far, they clearly deserve everything they have coming to them, and more.
