OK Go - 'Of the Blue Colour of the Sky' Review

OK Go are best known for the quirky, popular videos they made for the pop-rock songs “Here It Goes Again” and “A Million Ways” off their last album, 2005’s Oh No. Those silly, charming low-budget videos made OK Go a pop-culture sensation, but on their new album, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, the quartet still feel too much like a novelty band to fully connect. Of the Blue Colour of the Sky touches on Prince-style funk, indie-rock balladry, and ambitious Flaming Lips-like psychedelic pop, but OK Go’s third record ends up feeling like a bunch of sonic exercises rather than a confident expansion of the group’s sound.

Led by frontman Damian Kulash, OK Go have teamed up with Flaming Lips producer David Fridmann for Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, and perhaps not surprisingly the album recalls that Oklahoma band’s experimental late-‘90s/early-‘00s efforts to merge aural weirdness with pop song structures. But where the Lips’ off-kilter approach felt coherent, OK Go seem to be dabbling on Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, resulting in a hit-or-miss quality to the album’s 13 tracks where even the highlights are tempered by self-consciousness. OK Go dip their toe into deeper musical waters on this record, but they’re not quite ready to take the plunge.

Much of the album’s noble intentions can be heard on the first single and opening track. Kicking off with some discordant noise before going into a fuzzed-up guitar riff, “WTF?” is playful and sexy, featuring Kulash’s Prince-by-way-of-Beck falsetto. But after a few spins, the song never extends beyond its quirks – it’s all clever bits and pieces without much holding it together. Like those earlier, attention-grabbing videos, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky’s eclectic tunes are a bit one-note – once you get the joke of each track, there’s not much else to occupy the ear. The album’s surface is immensely enjoyable, but Fridmann’s colorful production can’t distract from the emptiness of many of these songs.

Despite the immediate accessibility of songs like “I Want You So Bad I Can’t Breathe” or “Last Leaf,” it’s hard to shake the feeling that OK Go are mere musical hobbyists, trying their hand at genres they find fun but don’t necessarily adore. There’s certainly something to be said for music that only wants to entertain, but Of the Blue Colour of the Sky’s influences knew how to balance pleasure with artistry. By comparison, OK Go’s ironic, detached approach to the fizzy “Before the Earth Was Round” or the psych-folk “Back From Kathmandu” leaves them feeling insincere, no matter how jaunty they are. Considering that these are some of the standout tracks on the album, it can make for a frustrating listening experience, akin to meeting someone at a party who’s initially a real hoot but who quickly reveals that he’s got nothing else to offer except for easy punch lines and silly quirks. OK Go are nice to have around, but as Of the Blue Colour of the Sky demonstrates, eventually they start to wear out their welcome.

“Before the Earth Was Round” (Purchase/Download)
“End Love” (Purchase/Download)
“Back From Kathmandu” (Purchase/Download)
“Skyscrapers” (Purchase/Download)
“While You Were Asleep” (Purchase/Download)

Release date – January 12, 2010
Capitol/EMI

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publicist. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.