Everybody wants to be popular, especially rock bands. Even the most do-it-yourself hardcore indie rockers would giggle like school children if their album hit number one on the Billboard chart. A problem arises, though, when bands desire to be big and popular so much that they sacrifice authenticity in order to be accessible to the biggest possible audience. In the biz, we call it selling out. With their self-titled debut album, OK Go does just that.
From their first track, “Get Over It,” the band tries their darndest to win fans over with its catchy chorus and hand-clapping rhythm. The lyrics are fun, talking about all the little troubles in one’s life. It’s a great single to an album that may diverge and get into more complicated material. This is not the case.
The next song, “Don’t Ask Me,” follows almost the same formula as “Get Over It,” with only a few minor changes. It is fast, bouncy, and has a repetitive chorus designed to get into the listener’s head. Understandable – a second single in case the first doesn’t get the attention it deserves. These singles would normally be enough to get a decent fan base, but OK Go disagree.
The song “You’re So Damn Hot,” is fun, fast-paced, has a driving beat and insulting hooks. This song is a bit different, though. Unlike the others that generally had a basic rock band sound, this song uses new-wave synth hooks that should make Ric Ocasek rush to call his copyright lawyer. This onslaught becomes almost comical during such songs as “Hello My Treacherous Friends” and “Bye, Bye Baby.”
There are brief reprieves from this pop assault. “1000 Mile per Hour” is more laid back and low-key compared to the other songs, comprising of simple guitar and rhythm parts. Along with the dark and slow “Shortly Before the End,” this is the only song that show the band stretching beyond its uber-poppy character. Unfortunately, the band goes almost straight back to the formulas they used before directly after these songs.
Some of these pop songs aren’t nearly as irritating as the rest. The hidden catchiness and fun synth work make “There’s a Fire” into a half-way decent indie-pop number. The trick is that it doesn’t bang the listener on the head until they submit to the utter poppiness of it. There is also the song “C-C-C-Cinnamon Lips,” which is an unadulterated pop tune that isn’t as obnoxious and nauseating as the band’s other attempts. It also helps that the vocals of bassist Tim Norwood aren’t nearly as mind numbing vocals of Damian Kulash.
There isn’t anything wrong with making a pop record, as long as the music comes off as effortless and natural. It’s when the pop becomes so smart, so witty, so catchy, so bouncy that it becomes a laborious effort to make. With this album, OK Go just try way too hard to be liked.
(OK Go will perform at SLU on Oct. 14. Watch this space for details.)
