The drum machine-led, synth-furnished single "These 3 Things" was the first the world would hear from Montreal band
Ought's third full-length offering. In some camps, this perceived seismic style shift was indicative of the band's move from experimental post-rock label Constellation to the relatively mainstream indie of Merge Records which, in turn, some speculated, signaled a swing toward more commercially palatable music. Evidently, no such cynical development has taken place;
Ought's evolution proves to be far more interesting.
Truth be told, they've long been misleadingly pitched as post-punk torchbearers when in fact their music has always drawn from a wide range of influences. And while to a certain extent their previous records were rightly praised for their originally wrought art-punk,
Room Inside the World is the record on which they truly fashion that world in their own image. Certainly, the wiry, angular edges have been smoothed out, and
Tim Darcy's voice sounds less shrill -- deeper and richer. It's particularly effective on tracks like the rolling, melodic riff on borders and division, "Disgraced America," which his voice rather cleverly renders soothing.
Generally speaking, the most striking growth in
Ought's sound is a newfound elegance. The rhythms of
Room Inside the World are as idiosyncratic as ever, but they rationalize effortlessly with the instrumentation, as on the wind-up-and-wind-down tempo of "Disaffection." But the most striking track of all is the 70-piece-choir-featuring soul piece "Desire." Never has a song that quashes yearning so comprehensively ("Desire, desire/It was never gonna stay/Never gonna stay") felt so profoundly affirming. For an album whose lyrics often feel despondent, this record feels like a gracefully administered tonic. ~ Bekki Bemrose