Will Schube’s life story is currently being adapted on HBO’s new series “Silicon Valley”
Well, this is weird. Ought’s singer, Tim Beeler, sings “Habit” with the delivery of David Byrne’s twin. He deadpans, he yelps, he’s who you would point to if you had to explain David Byrne to someone without actually referencing David Byrne. In fact, Beeler does Byrne better than Byrne sometimes does (blasphemous, I know!). “Habit” is “Once in a Lifetime” without the fun. Beeler wails and sounds straight up manic. It’s awesome. He sings, “And is there something you’re trying to express ya?”, the first half deadpan before he slips into this weird half-yelp that should sound way worse than it does. “Habit” is from More Than Any Other Day, which is Ought’s forthcoming debut album. For a bunch of musically infantile Canadians, “Habit” (and the entire album for that matter) sounds decisive and assured.
The music on “Habit” borders the outskirts of post-punk, lacking the venom so characteristic of the genre. Beeler’s voice is more pleading than attacking, but the delivery fits like David Byrne’s Stop Making Sense suit — it shouldn’t fit but it somehow does. The song’s latter half meanders before coalescing into something genuinely moving and powerful. Beeler seems to care about shit, which is nice when you spend all day listening to Real Estate. As the song builds up for a final chorus, Beeler asks, “Do you feel it/Like I feel it?” The answer is a defiant yes.
