CASEY PHILLIPS: If there’s one band that embodies the sound, spirit, dance moves and fashion sense of the label “Indie pop,” it’s Chicago-based OK Go. The band became synonymous with the term after their inspired treadmill choreography turned the video for their song “Here It Goes Again” into a super viral Internet phenomenon.
“Of the Blue Colour of the Sky,” the band’s third album, retains the off-kilter intellectualism they’re known for, but for those, like myself, who expected to hear another radio-friendly pop/rock hookfest a la their first two albums, “Blue Colour’s” detours too frequently from a winning formula.
BARRY COURTER: I confess to having been hooked by “Here It Goes Again.” I loved the cleverness of the video and after a couple of viewings realized I liked the song as well. “Blue Colour” has some really cool moments and some inspired melodies and the group manages to once again offer some surprises.
CASEY: Some songs like “This Too Shall Pass,” and (perhaps especially) “White Knuckles” fulfilled my expectations. Others were surprisingly sedate (“While You Were Asleep”) or gloomy (“In The Glass”). None of the tracks were poorly executed by any means, but they didn’t feel like they belonged on an album by a band known for its danceable pop.
BARRY: It felt at times to me a bit like a demo tape, not because of lack of polish but because of the diversity. In some ways they are to be credited for pushing things, but it can be confusing.