OK GO
We know they did the video with treadmills, but the best part about OK Go is the music and the LA based four-piece's third album, 'Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky', was recorded in New York under the expert guidance of Dave Fridmann (famed for his work with MGMT and The Flaming Lips) throughout 2009.
If we're going for a pithy comparison, let's just say it combines the strut of Prince's 'Sign Of The Times' (or better yet, Beck's 'Midnight Vultures') with atmospheric, euphoria-fuelled guitars alá MGMT's 'Oracular Spectacular'.
When the record was being written, the band were going through one of the most painful periods of their lives, which is well documented throughout these 13 tracks. Heartbreak, insecurity, hope, and trust all feature strongly as themes, alongside questioning the reason for logic in an ultimately illogical world.
'Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky' also celebrates the very human trait of optimism, and the power of a dream in the face of adversity. Stand out tracks are the anthemic 'This Too Shall Pass', the squelchy dance hit in waiting 'White Knuckles' and boisterous and dreamy 'Back from Kathmandu'. 'Of The Blue Colour of the Sky' shows the band off in its very own technicolour light.
This band is a phenomenon. They are the most downloaded act to date, way before downloads were what bands used to sell their records. They have won both a Grammy and a YouTube Award for their ground-breaking video and viral smash, 'Here It Goes Again', picking up countless nominations ever since. Despite the sheer scale of this success, the band's proudest moment remains playing for Barak Obama on his presidential campaign trail in Pennsylvania, with President Obama a self-confessed OK Go fan.
Vocalist Damian Kulash has carved himself out as an effortless rock'n'roll star. The strut, the wit, the unpredictability and the charisma has earned him not only global success in this very global band, but also the new face of Uni Qlo for 2010.
OK Go also feature on the new Twilight movie soundtrack 'New Moon', with their song 'Shooting To The Moon', "the biggest treat on the album" (NME).
'Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky' is a hugely ambitious record by an American band that have plenty to shout about. There is a lot to say about OK Go that hasn't already been said, and when you listen to the record, you'll hear that there is a whole lot more.
Track listings are as follows:
1. WTF?
2. This Too Shall Pass
3. All Is Not Lost
4. Needing/Getting
5. Skyscrapers
6. White Knuckles
7. I Want You So Bad I Can't Breathe
8. End Love
9. Before The Earth Was Round
10. Last Leaf
11. Back From Kathmandu
12. While You Were Asleep
13. In The Glass
OK Go will tour in the UK in January. Dates below:
11th Jan - The Waterfront, Norwich
12th Jan - O2 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham
13th Jan - Shepherd's Bush Empire, London
14th Jan - Concorde 2, Brighton
16th Jan - O2 Academy Sheffield, Sheffield
17th Jan - O2 Academy Liverpool, Liverpool
18th Jan - O2 ABC Glasgow, Glasgow