The charm of the home-rolled video for “A Million Ways”, and the seductive ease of the iTunes Music Store, combined in a way that made it pretty much inevitable that I’d buy Ok Go’s latest album, Oh No.
I’ve listened to it a few times now, and it’s… solid.
“Invcincible” is a tribute to someone who either won or broke the singer’s heart — it’s a little hard to be sure, which is half the fun.
“Good Idea At The Time”, though its opening riff sounds like it was lifted wholesale from the Cars, is an answer song to, of all things, the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil”:
True about my taste
True about my wealth
Thing about St. Petersburg,
I’s never there myself
So come on
Yeah, come on
Anastasia might have cried all night
I couldn’t say myself
So come on
Yeah, come on
I ‘preciate your courtesy
Your well-earned politesse
But you got yourself into your own mess
You know the demon’s in the design
Good idea at the time
Seemed like a good idea at the time
Now how it all went down,
Only Pilate knows,
All I ever asked of him was when the bars would close…
“It’s a Disaster” is an infectiously cheery we’re-all-going-to-Hell tune:
It’s a disaster
It’s an incredible mess
But it’s all we got
Yeah, it’s all we got
“A Million Ways” is as good as it ever was, although at this point the song without the video, as catchy as it is, seems like a sandwich without the filling. Something essential is missing.
One of the last songs on the album, “Maybe, This Time”, is a sneaky little surprise. It’s quiet and understated, until you listen closely to the lyrics and realize that that’s because it’s as devastatingly businesslike as a Parkerized blade in the dark. Fun stuff.
Quite a good album overall, definitely worth your time and money. I’m afraid I have little choice but but to go back and buy their debut effort now.