OK Go - Do What You Want

Ever since Phantom Planet went garage-rock, rough'n'catchy powerpop has been a bit hard to get your hands on. Well, it seems the boys from OK Go are willing to take the throne.

Do What You Want is the three-track EP preceding the band's forthcoming sophomore album, Oh No. With good tunes, rough instrumentation and a palpable sense of dance fun, What You Want has a rough edge OK God's debut didn't have. And here's hoping the new album brings more of the same.

What You Want's title-track opens. It's an energetic and catchy bit of dance-rock with cocky, heavy guitars, and destined to be overplayed as some vapid WB party tune. Fortunately, it has enough guts and fun to be a good guilty pleasure.

Then, OK Go takes a rougher, rock-ier edge for its second song, "Invincible". Expect lots of grinding riffs, roaring vocals, and slightly twisted lyrics: "When they finally come to destroy the Earth/ They'll have to go through you first/ Bet they won't be expecting that." Just can the emo yelling, boys, and you'll have it made.

Then there's a cover of the Cure's "Lovecats," which has a less out-there, wild sound than the original. These guys sound sleepy, sly and grimy. Damian Kulash's wild singing is punctuated by spurts of protesting guitar and a few new-wavy quirks. It's a solid cover, just different enough from the original to be interesting, and not so different as to be unfaithful.

Sure, OK Go still has a few flaws to iron out, but the band's lean, rough edge should serve them well on their new album. Ok, now go!

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