OK Go – Oh No

This album is a lot of fun. It fits pretty comfortably into the New New Wave, skinny-tie, modern dance-rock genre that’s become common recently, but the music doesn’t sound hackneyed and familiar. Unlike, say, the Killers, there’s a sense of playfulness here. The members of OK Go genuinely seem to be having a fucking blast playing the music on this record.

There are plenty of good songs. Most people are familiar with “Here It Goes Again” because of the now-famous choreographed treadmill dancing video. “Invincible” and “A Million Ways” are the most obvious nods to today’s popular dance-rock. “A Million Ways,” in particular, borrows the bouncy energy and angular basslines of Franz Ferdinand. The rhythmic sway of “Oh Lately It’s So Quiet” seems tailor-made for the ending montage of a network TV drama, but the song is so catchy that its overuse on television will be easy to excuse.

The real stunner, however, is “No Sign of Life”, an anthem carved from a solid block of awesome. This song is bigger than anything else on the album, and it practically begs for a pyrotechnic display (I think there might actually be PT stage direction in the liner notes). Following a simple, repeated riff and an enthusiastic yelp from some computerized background singers, this song lumbers to life. It’s not in any hurry, because it wants to rock you thoroughly and the faster it goes, the sooner it’s all over. God knows what this song is about, but when he sings that he could “hear his heart beat / and beat and beat and beat and beat” I can no longer keep from singing along.

Buy this record.

***FULL DISCLOSURE: I didn’t actually buy this album. I borrowed it from my friend Dan, who liked it but didn’t love it. His complaint was with the lyrics. I think he meant that they were trying to be too clever. Which might be true. Singer (and presumably lyricist) Damian Kulash uses words like “politesse” and “urbanity”. But for me, that doesn’t distract from the fun.

Ghostface Killah – Fishscale

Blew my mind. I had read about how good this album is, but the 30-second samples I’d heard hadn’t convinced me. Good thing I bought the album anyway. It’s tremendous. There’s an awesome soul feel to the album, but at no point does the production sound like Kanye West. Don’t get me wrong—I like Kanye. But his work always sounds shiny and polished. This album does not. It’s got a gutty, gritty soul feel that’s perfect for Ghostface’s raspy delivery. The first two songs (after the intro) are my favorites. “Shakey Dog” sets the tone for the album with some awesome horn hits and a lurid tale of ghetto thievery. “Kilo” is more of a sing-along, with the backup singers delivering the memorable couplet “All around the world today / the kilo is a measure / a kilo is 1,000 grams / that’s easy to remember.” Nuff said.