Album Review: OK Go - OK Go

Genre(s): Pop/Rock
Released: September 2002

1. Get Over It - The album's first song begins with some percussion, then follows with some powerful guitar, leading into the vocals. This song blends real instruments (guitar) with synth sounds to create an awesome opening track with a meaning similar to an Eagles song of the same name; it's about how people always whine and complain about everything just to get what they want. Easily one of my favorites from the album. 10/10

2. Don't Ask Me - This song starts of with some muted guitar and then some intense synthesizer that match the melody of the vocals. I like the vocals in this song, because they're recorded at higher and lower pitches, then stacked to make a nice harmonious sound. The song seems to be about an ex-girlfriend (or just ex-friend) and the associated fakeness that follows after the break-up ("Don't ask me how I've been" - Don't pretend like you care). 10/10

3. You're So Damn Hot - This song makes awesome use of alliteration, repetition, and rhyme: "Don't even try to find a line this time, it's fine, darlin' you're still devine." "But darlin' look at how you dress your best suggests another kind of guest." Now that I think about it, I love that aspect of this song. And the synth lead is really awesome. 9/10

4. What To Do - I've only heard this one once and when I did it was mostly background music, so I don't have a lot to say about it. This song is more mellow and relaxed than the previous 3, but it's still pretty strong. Nice vocals and an unexpected yet fitting little gutiar solo halfway through. 9/10

5. 1000 Miles Per Hour - Again, another I haven't heard much. Another softer song, yet it still has an almost upbeat tempo/feel to it. I really don't know how to describe this song. It's mostly acoustic guitar with some synth/orchestral sounds to it, making it more of a ballad almost. 8/10

6. Shortly Before the End - Another softer one, softer than the others. This album seemed to start off fast and rockin', then moved into a softer, mellow feel, which is nice. There's some distorted guitar, but it's slower and more 'grand' I guess. The vocals are a little too soft for my liking, though it's not too bad. 6/10

7. Return - A bunch of instruments (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, synth, etc) come together to form the majority of this song. The vocals are soft and varied, and parts of it remind me of Colin Meloy (The Decemberists). This song also reminds me of Oasis. 6/10

8. There's a Fire - Transition away from the softer middle section of the album. This song picks up the beat. The main guitar is ska/reggae in style (guitar played on the upbeats rather than the downbeats) and the main melody is this soft synth sound. 7/10

9. C-C-C-Cinnamon Lips - The vocals are quite interesting in this song. They're a little weird, yet not necessarily bad. I think this song sorta grew on me. This is another song that takes advantage of repetition and rhyme. 9/10

10. The Fix Is In - This song starts with vocals that seem totally different from the rest of the album (deeper). This song evolves quite a bit, with several different parts to it. I like it though. A well placed guitar solo and vocal bridge help make it better. 10/10

11. Hello My Treacherous Friends - Second only to Get Over It. Starts with some crazy glockenspiel/triangle-type thing. The verse part ("With regard to my newborn arachnid kids" and "perhaps you could help me to demonstrate how your center can keep up its sickening spin") of the song seems lazy and out of a tempo or scale, but I think that just makes it better. The chorus is softish, yet powerful. 10/10

12. Bye Bye Baby - A fitting name for a closing track; in fact, the whole feel of this song matches that of a finale. The initial vocals again remind me of Oasis. Not much to say about this song, but it's good. 10/10

Overall - Ok Go's self-titled album was overall pretty impressive. I generally don't expect too much from pop-rock bands these days, but this was a pleasant surprise. The album starts and ends very strongly, but the middle few songs don't seem near as good as the rest. Ok Go's style is unique, unlike most recent bands I've heard. So check them out. 9/10

You can find OK Go's album on Plan B Music.

posted by Matt Soave @ 8/21/2006 06:48:00 PM