Ok Go – Of The Blue Colour of The Sky

One of the first indie bands to have their album out in the new year, Ok Go show a noticeable shift in genres; moving towards a more psychedelic and funk sound.

‘Of The Blue Color Of The Sky’ or, for convenience, ‘Sky’, is a perfect example of what a band at the height of their fame can do with a new release. Ok Go clearly conveys this with their opening track (and lead single) aptly titled ‘WTF?’ Many of the band’s newer fans are sure to use this expression while listening to the synth-utilising, pace-shifting song. The clincher is the sped-fast solo, which guarantees to surprise.

‘This Too Shall Pass’ continues to provide the synth-pop, indie style that the band stays true to in their upbeat numbers.  But that’s just about where that ends, because the next 3 songs, beginning with ‘All Is Not Lost’, aim to mellow down the album, something that Ok Go try at other junctures of the album. Its hard to say whether they get it right or not. Another instance of this is two-and-a-half-minutes called ‘Last Leaf’ which is an acoustic song.

At other times, it is obvious that the producer Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, MGMT) influenced the band to get trippy. The psychedelic sound (and songs, yes FULL SONGS) on ‘Sky’ is to be appreciated, as is the genius who is Fridmann. Songs like, ‘While You Were Asleep’, ‘Skyscrapers’ and ‘Back from Kathmandu’ are clear winners for fans of neo-psychedelic rock.

To mention two tracks that stand out and rather retain the previous style of the band would be ‘I Want You So Bad I Can’t Breathe’ and ‘White Knuckles’. The latter has proved to be regarded as the “second favourite” on the album. The soulful, falsetto vocals on the album by Damien Kulash Jr. (influenced by Prince, at times) adds another musical dimension on ‘Sky’, allowing the band to tweak around with general sound on the album (which is quite unpredictable at times).

Lastly, a special mention to fans who like to own physical copies of music – ‘Sky’ is packaged beautifully and the concept behind the album (inspired by the book, ‘The Influence of the Blue Ray of the Sunlight and of the Blue Colour of the Sky’) is shown to great detail in the inlay artwork.

So, if you’re a fan of eclectic, fun-filled, funk indie rock, ‘Sky’ is a treat. I dare to say this even though many other critics have panned the album for the shift away from the expected pop-rock norm. But I still have to agree with a few who say that ‘Sky’ is (nearly) a hit-or-miss album. My parting advice - judge for yourself.

Photo Courtesy : www.okgo.net