9

Ok Go and listen if you like.

Ok Go come across sounding like a cleaned up version of the Garage bands that peppered the start of the new millennium. Perhaps unsurprisingly, (or perhaps lazy journalism suggests) given that the new album was recorded in Sweden and there are distinct parallels between 'Oh No' and the sound of a restrained Hives.

The crashing guitars that seem to pop in at any non-vocal point of the song and the hollering and clipped squeal of lead man Damian Kulash all bring to mind the suited chaps of the self-proclaimed new favourite band. As bands to sound like, The Hives shouldn't really be first on anyone's list but as the album progresses the list of influences widens.

'A Good Idea At The Time' reeks of classic rock with its chugging riff sounding like the Stones of the early 70s and the short pay-off line in the chorus is a trick well used, the track even fades out to the faint sound of horns coming in.

So there is nothing really new on the record but there is a lot of variety on the record. 'Oh Lately It's So Quiet' is a rather downbeat soft track which is followed by 'It's A Disaster' which borrows heavily from early 1980s UK indie. For a 13-track record, the changing styles helps to keep the album interesting to the listener. There's never really the impression that Ok Go are fully mastering any of the genres or styles they are recreating but there isn't any boredom or poor songs throughout the record.

Album centrepiece 'No Sign Of Life' possibly comes the closest to being the standout track on the record with its Bowie-like intro giving way to a gnawing guitar riff and 'woo-ooh' backing vocals. Without being a fast song, it contains a lot of energy propelled by its bass run and finished off by its alternation between soft then shouted vocals. On an album of okayness and no real disappointments, this track just about gets its head above the rest and makes a name for itself.

From here on, the album eases off into the end salvaged at times by thumping drumming and fuzz-treated guitars but the record slides off into the ether.

There is not one bad track on the album, and given the state of some of the critically acclaimed records of the past year or so, this is not as easy as it may seem. However, there are also songs that threaten to shake the listener out of the feeling that its all just nice. Ok Go are just okay, nothing more, nothing less.