Ok Go!

Not since Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ has there been an opening to an album like the eponymous debut from Chicago quartet OK Go. ‘Get Over It’ is brash, cheesy, poppy and ballsy and kitsch, with a big dumb chorus that you can’t help joining in with: I love it.

Thankfully, things continue on in a similarly infectious vein through the frantic ‘Don’t Ask Me’ and ‘You’re So Damn Hot’, before the mid-tempo, acerbic humour of ‘What To Do’ allows the listener to get their breath back (“Mediocre people do exceptional things all the time… Could’ve been a genius if you’d had an axe to grind”).

The mid-section of ‘Shortly Before The End’ and ‘Return’ take us on a bleak journey, lyrically, before the funky, bass-driven ‘There’s A Fire’ adds some welcome relief, courtesy of some cheesy keyboard swirls. ‘C-C-Cinnamon Lips’ ups the silliness factor somewhat, as the clipped rhythms and unusual arrangement call to mind an American Cornershop.

Unashamedly sunny, musically, while the lyrics often tread far darker and more complex water, OK Go! is inventive, interesting and intelligent pop music from a band unafraid to take risks. The end result is one of the freshest sounding albums I have had the pleasure of listening to this year.