Customer Reviews

Oh No (+ DVD-Edition Limitee) (PAL)

5 star:		(108)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"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 despite their poppy but less than satisfying debut, the powerpop band actually manages to do just that: make people rock. If a few songs didn't strongly resemble other dancerock bands of the moment, it would be "invincible!"

The album kicks off with two of the best songs on it: the sinuous, muscular "Invincible" and energetic rock-stomp of "Do What You Want." These songs are catchy, rough and gloriously rock-y. Pretty good replay value too -- despite the oft-repeated phrase "come on come on!", vocalist Damian Kulash keeps the sound fresh.

Until about the halfway point of the album, OK Go continues this energetic dancerock sound, churning out one excellent song after another. But alas, their best material is used at the start, and is followed by some songs that sound a bit too like the Futureheads and Franz Ferdinand. Not surprising, when one considers that Johansson also produced Franz Ferdinand's debut.

The last half is not terrible by any stretch, merely not great; the second stretch of songs lack that explosive, muscular style in the first. And what is WITH that half-hour "bonus" track that has nothing except the odd rustle?

It's a credit to OK Go's dancerock capability that they can overcome the strong Franz Ferdinand vibes that permeate a few of the songs. They have actually become better since their debut album, downplaying the keyboard in favour of thick mats of guitar and bass. As a makeover, moving from powerpop to dancerock is a pretty inspired one.

Kulash has a 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.

Ok Go starts to shuck off their powerpop origins, in favour of an energetic dance sound. It has a few uninspired songs, but if they follow the blazing lead of "Invincible," they will only get better.

Even if you were the first on your block to buy OK Go's great sophomore release "Oh No" a year-and-a-half ago, you really have to get this new deluxe expanded reissue, and NOT say "Oh No" at the prospect of rebuying the album over again.

I honestly had no idea this was coming out (I just saw the boys on Leno and Jay's mention of it along with holding it up for all to see, I was like "What The...???"), but you know what happens...a great record was resurrected from the dead, and the label strikes while the iron is hot, and usually, these reissues just piss off more people than they entertain. Not OK Go's deluxe "Oh No". This new 2006 CD/DVD is a reissue done right.

First off, it follows in the album's tradition of it being shrinkwrapped with the band's logo forming a clear window for the fancy artwork to show through...the original one was black, this one's like purple/plum...when you open it up, THAT's where things are REALLY different. I don't know who thought of the idea, but it's clever, just like everything the band does...the NEW artwork incorporates someone's fingers (perhaps Damian's??) holding up a shrunken CD (with the original artwork), turning each page, and the CD itself, as if displaying it for you, very nice. The CD of the album is identical to the original CD, 2nd edition, with the "bonus" 14th track, whatever it is...it originally pissed me off, but I grew to accept it for what it is. Having the album itself just separates you from the wannabe's, and shows you have impeccable taste.

Now, the DVD is the clincher, icing on the cake, etc. It's not some record company ploy, it's the band's design and a clearing of their video vaults!!! It's over an hour of stuff, including not only all the clever clips from "Oh No" that made our boys a sensation on YouTube, even the making of the famous "treadmill video" of the ultracatchy "Here It Goes Again", but ALSO all the clips from their just-as-great 2002 self-titled debut album, like the song/clip that made me pay attention to them in the first place, "Get Over It", with it's pingpong footage, hooray!!! Add in live clips, fan involvement like the dancing booth they brought on tour and video entries in a contest they had...the works.

Add all this up in a handy dandy package of a record and band that deserves all the accolades gone their way...all at a bargain of a price, and hours of upon hours of fun, woohoo!!!

Oh, and hearing the record again is absolutely swell, even if you've worn out 10 copies of it...they make awesome gifts!!!

Amazing band. Great CD. A little Ray Davies, a little Cars, a little Elvis Costello, a little Cheap Trick. Damain is like a musical Dr. Frankenstein creating the ultimate original Pop Rock monster that is OK Go.

I've seen them perform this second CD live twice now, and all I can say is "Who is Andy Ross and why does he fit into OK GO so well?"

Between his fantastic stage presence, his keyboard parts, his lead guitar licks and his background vocals (ode to Andrew), where did they find this guy?

Damian, can you enlighten us?

He is the perfect fit to an already perfect band. Never stop. Keep these great CD's coming.

On OH NO, OK Go sounds a bit more garage-y, a little rougher - older and snarlier, not quite as polished - than on their first self-titled album. I quite like the change. Good solid indie-type rock.

This is one of the albums people dream of. I usually tire of listening to the same thing over and over but this has been in my rotation now for about 3 months. Every song is reeking brilliance and is definately a force to be reckoned with.

Because on their new album, Oh No, OK GO pull all the rock and roll stops to achieve a sublime collection of feel good jams. Sophmore slump this is not... if anything, this album will make them pop superstars.

When "Get Over It" burst onto the radio and TV back in 2002, it immediately caught my attention for it's raw, but polished production that seemed to glitter it's way into the subconscience and proclaim, "Rock and Roll Is NOT Dead!" Now, 3 years later, their new single, "A Million Ways", is furthering that statement by saying "And it doesn't always have to be the same!" The new tune is beaming with the witty lyrics and catchy hooks that only OK GO knows best in this day of age. "Oh such grace, oh such beauty, with lipstick and callis, fishnets and mallice, oh darling, your a million ways to be cruel."

The entire album is complete with melodic melodies that soar to the greatest hights of Cheap Trick and The Cars (Here It Goes Again, Good Idea At The Time), but cruise to the uniqueness and everlasting appeal of bands like 10cc (Oh Lately It's So Quiet).

One things for sure, if you believe rock is meant to be an assortment of flavors for the ear, with melodies and hooks that move you and take you in, OK GO's OH NO will happily be waiting for you at your local Best Buy or Walmart by the time you finishing reading this. Enjoy.

It's very rare that a sophmore album from a good band is as good as the original. It's even more rare when it's better. OKGO has done it. This album is incredible. Every tune is catchy goodness. It's hard to listen to just one track and not need to listen to the whole album....it's similar to Lay's potato chips, but minus the potato's and grease. Is it potato or potatoe? Anyway, I highly recommend this album as well as the first to anyone looking for good driving/dancing/chilling music. It fits every occasion, kinda like Kool Aid...wow. This review is full of analogies! Buy It Now.

I was a big fan of OK Go's first major release and I wasn't sure which direction they would go with the new album. They opted to keep things more upbeat without delving into some of the slower tempos found on the debut. Equally meshing early Cars, a little bit of Pixies, and a nice sampling of any of the new dance-rock bands...this is a catchy little masterpiece that would probably even pull Damon Albarn back into some more Blur albums to please his fans. Check this one out!

If this album was released in 1974 it would be a Kinks album. They have a pretty inspired sound on this album but it is much rougher around the edges than their debut. Cheap Trick seem to be everyone's favorite comparison band lately but this is not them this is more in tune with the Kinks and their eclectic musical road map. I can even hear a small amount of Lenny Kravitz love for old school 60's flair. Overall I can't see being disappointed after purchasing this album. The vocal production of every song is the only weakness and complaint I've got with an otherwise decent second release by a band that stays in the pocket of what they know. If you enjoy current rock/pop music and love early 80's music I can recommend this to you. If your looking for a total smash up then Supagroup might make a better stripped down choice.

Let me get straight to the point: OK GO's Oh No is the best album I have ever owned in my life. Yes, this is a very bold statement, and no, this isn't the only album I've ever bought, but after listening to the album about 50+ times, I still stand by this claim.

I first heard about this album and band from the game "SSX On Tour", in which the track "Here it Goes Again" was featured. Although not impressed by this track alone, as soon as I saw the internet-hit "A Million Ways", I was hooked. After sampling a few songs on ITunes, I immediately ordered the album.

This was one of the first times I had ever ordered an album without first hearing all of the songs. I indeed had only listed to a few 30-second clips, maybe 3 or 4, and was so impressed by this little bit I took the leap of faith and bought the whole thing.

I popped my headphones.

And was subsequently blown away.

The opening track, "Invincible" is so powerful, so mighty and so skillful I felt so torn apart when I moved to the next song to listen to that. "Do What You Want" would sound like the product of another band if it weren't for Damian Kulash's unique and easily recognizable vocals. It was, like the first track, amazing.

Needless to say, I ended up listening to the album multiple times, and never felt bored or tired of it. Oh No is such a masterfully produced album, it's almost like a collection of bands took their best songs and said "Ok Go, please perform these songs". In other words, every song rings like a power-packed solo, immersing the listener in a world of its own.

See for yourself: Try to find two songs on the album that sound anything alike. From the mellow disco-bass-driven "A Million Ways" to the beautifully bizarre and upbeat/downbeat "Oh Lately It's So Quiet", to the Death Cab-ish "Let It Rain", to the Get-up-and-dance "Television, Television".

Nothing, however, is perfect.

Two songs stick out like pimples on this otherwise beautiful face: "Crash the Party" and "It's A Disaster", which seem painfully uninspired compared to the rest. Also, a few songs suffer from "My chorus-doesn't-match-my-verse" syndrome, but this is simply a style, not necesarily a downfall. I personally didn't care for it, but it goes to show OK GO defines their genre and sets trends, rather than follow them.

Buy Oh No. You won't regret it. Look at the rating! 5 stars! Look how many reviews gave it that. Why haven't you bought it yet?