OK Go - Oh No
Author: L.A. Solinas
Release Date: August 30, 2005
Label: Capitol
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"You will go into a room together and you will rock."
So promises Tore Johansson, producer of OK Go's sophomore album, Oh No, and the power-poppers from Chi-town actually manage to do just that -- they make people rock. So well in fact, that if a few songs didn't so strongly resemble so many other dance rock bands of the moment, it would be, you could say, invincible.
The album kicks off with two of the best songs on it: the sinuous, muscular -- ahem -- "Invincible" and energetic, stomping "Do What You Want." These songs are catchy, rough and gloriously rocky. Pretty good replay value, too, and despite the oft-repeated "come on, come on!", vocalist Damian Kulash keeps the sound fresh.
Until about the halfway point of the album, OK Go continues on its energetic, dance rock way, churning out one excellent song after another. But alas, their best material is used up at the start and is followed by some Futureheads and Franz Ferdinand sound-a-likes. Not surprising, when one considers that Johansson also produced Franz's debut.
The last half of Oh No is not terrible by any stretch. It's just not great. It lacks the explosive, muscular style of the first, and what is -with- that half-hour "bonus" track with nothing but the odd rustle? I really don't get why it was included.
It's a credit to OK Go that the band's dance sensibilities can overcome the occasional lackluster rock rhythms that permeate a few songs. The band has actually become better since its debut album, downplaying so much keyboard in favor of thick mats of guitar and bass. As a makeover, moving from power pop to dance rock is a pretty inspired one.
Chalk it up to Kulash's rare kind of voice. He can change from a monotone to a howl as if a switch had been flipped, and has a pleasant purr when he's being quiet. He's joined by a quartet of capable musicians, whether it's twisting basslines or rapid-fire drums, and though guitarist/pianist/keyboardist Andrew Ross left during the recording of the album, the sound doesn't suffer.
Oh No sees OK Go starting to shuck off its power pop origins in favor of an energetic dance-friendly sound. It has a few uninspired songs, true, but if the band follows the blazing lead of "Invincible," OK Go will only get better.
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