OK Go - Of the Blue Colour of the Sky

Oh boy! LA Band OK Go has a brand spankin' new album, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky. The rock group, originally hailing from Chicago, has previously delivered two rock albums, OK Go and Oh No.
As of early March, they're newest album has given us thirteen new tracks so we can all treadmill dance to our heart's content. The style has shifted a bit resulting in more polished, refined songs. With a a new unique, borderline rock sound, the lead singer has shifted his vocal styling a bit. In of the Blue Colour of the Sky, the vocals of Damien Kulash are fainter, more dreamlike, and a heck of a lot harder to understand, which can be invariable good or bad. The first track on the album, WTF?, opens with some sinister electronic beats that are quickly accompanied by Kulash's hazy singing. An interesting song on the album, Last Leaf, differs from the theme of the album to give us a lighter, acoustic song with soft, clear vocals. Not a bad song, and offers a bit a variety to the sometimes bland repetition of the album. Another song, This Too Shall Pass, clearly the star of the album, is pretty outstanding. I really would never have expected a song like this to come from a band like OK Go. The song consists of a thick haze of Kulash's mystifying vocals and loud, adrenaline pumping instrumentals. It all blends together nicely, and I could see it being popular with a lot of people. (On a side note, the song is accompanied by an equally mind-blowing video, which can be found here.
Now it's time to talk nasty behind OK Go's back. There are a few things that are quite annoying about the album, like the noticeable deviation from their style. Not that it's bad, I personally think it sounds great. It just always bugs me when bands can't stick to one thing. I say this about a lot of bands but repetition really killed some songs. It's not that bad, but the first few songs on the album are a little too similar. Also, the much more faint, harder to hear lyrics didn't seem right. It felt like they were trying too hard in some songs. They really should have just stuck to clearer, more natural singing.
So there are a few blemishes, nothing too huge. Overall, I'd say this album is worth buying. I can see how people could grow tired of the style pretty easily, but for the most part I think they did a spot-on job. 8 and a half stars for this gem of an album. OKAY, it's time for me to GO to bed, get it!?



-Charlie