OK Go - Oh No

Editors Note: I completely disagree with this review and think this is one of the most enjoyable albums of 2005. However, we all know the joke about how everyone has their own opinion and the one below happens to be that of the writer who received the CD. I think you need to fire up iTunes and make your own judgement on this one. You know that guy at the party who thinks he’s funny? And once, you politely feigned laughter at some hack-ass joke of his and wound up only encouraging him? You’ve created a monster. It’s fake smiles for the rest of the night… OK Go is like that guy. Some of you out there mindlessly bought into their self-titled debut in 2002 with its horrible singles “Get Over It” and “Don’t Ask Me,” and now OK Go thinks they’re the freakin’ life of the party. OK Go excels at making fleetingly likable, heartless Indie-Brand pop music amalgamations. This record is the second installment of OK Go's formula that proved so successful on their first L.P. Each song specifically designed for hit-dom: Jokey, Weezer-like songs with pop references galour, vaguely psychedelic soaring backing vocals, chugging guitar/sing-a-long breakdowns. Everything but the kitchen sink. And on first listen it can be...listenable. But everything about this band seems so calculated, that even their rock interjections, like “Whoa!” or “Hey!” seem phony. Everyone in indie-rock has been mining their old '80's records for inspiration, right?. But see, OK Go is different and new because they chose a late '60's paisley motif! So they threw in some Beatles-like effects on their backround vocals, added a "psychedelic" musical reference once in a while and wrapped themselves in paisley shirts and stuff. So ya got the image right? ---- OK Go is that indie band in paisley shirts that sort of references psychedelia. Okay, good. They've grafted that stroke of genius onto hooky little pop songs (which throws in every gimmick used by the likes of Cheap Trick, The J. Geils Band, Weezer, The Cars, Adam and the Ants, and the already mentioned Beatles---without any of those band’s cleverness), with lyrics so easily decipherable, and with choruses so redundant, that even a sorority girl jacked up on vodka and Red Bull can still sing along to it. Sounds like a hit, right? Well, unfortunately, yes. Their first single, “A Million Ways” has made it into the 20’s on Billboard, and their self-made video has reportedly been downloaded several million times. The video actually is pretty amusing----it shows the guys in their backyard doing a parody of a boy band-style choreographed dance. But, like their music, you only have to experience it once before it gets old. Save to Disk? Naaahhh. Cynical, derivative, disposable pop. Make room in the cut-out bin, my smile muscles hurt. [www.okgo.net]