Though they got a glimpse of fame with their unique treadmill choreography, showcased in their music video for "Here It Goes Again", OK Go isn't quite a household name. If you can't name a song from their last full-length album, 2005's "Oh No," your second chance has arrived on their new digital EP, "You're Not Alone." The five-track EP, available exclusively on iTunes, showcases three songs from "Oh No" redone with the help of the New Orleans soul trombone group Bonerama. Random? Not exactly. OK Go spent Katrina's second anniversary paying homage to New Orleans' displaced musicians by creating an album infused with a little culture, a couple covers, and a lot of horns. The result? Mardi Gras meets Modest Mouse. Reel Big Fish meets Bob Dylan (I'll get to that later).
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OK Go & Bonerama
|  Entertainment
Art
"You're Not Alone"
(Capitol Records – exclusive on iTunes)
Released February 5, 2008
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The EP, released on Feb. 5, or Fat Tuesday - New Orleans' biggest celebration, starts with a cover of David Bowie's "Rock N Roll Suicide." The track has an airy Jack Johnson feel, but with tangible inspiration from the moody Bowie glam we all know and love. It creates the vibe of the whole EP: Horns. Big band. New Orleans. Bowie's lyrics are also passionate and reaching: "Oh, give me your hand, 'cause you're not alone." Appropriate lyrics for an album that reaches out to a devastated city.
In fact, for this EP, OK Go intelligently picked songs from their repertoire (as well as the two covers) that speak to the greater purpose of the album, which is to help rebuild homes for displaced New Orleans musicians (all proceeds are being donated). The music, lyrics, and vocals seem to capture a range of different emotions and thoughts that emerge when discussing the city, its music, its tragedies and loss, its hopeful resurrection, its historic past, and its sultry reputation. And if you happened to love these songs the first time around, you'll appreciate the horn-laden remakes that could be an ode to New Orleans itself. "Oh such beauty and lipstick and callous, and fishnets and malice, oh darlin', you're a million ways to be cruel," lead singer Damian Kulash sings in "A Million Ways," a simple, fun, up-tempo number. The song is reminiscent of the pre-Katrina sex appeal of the hot, jazz-infused city of French influence and wild Mardi Gras parades. A vibe that is slowly making its way back to the city.
"Oh Lately It's So Quiet" has more whispered, ethereal vocals than the original version, audible when Kulash asks "Whose house are you haunting tonight?" This version also features Bonerama horn solos obviously not found on "Oh No." This is probably the catchiest song on the EP, and probably already memorable for an OK Go follower.
"It's a Disaster," has a ska sound that reminds me of the Reel Big Fish songs people used to skank to at live shows. This remake is actually perfect for this EP because, newly re-imagined, it demonstrates the mix of emotions of a city that can only hope to reinvent itself. Specifically, lyrics like "Howl with laughter, panic alone in distress" capture that chaos. When you consider who the EP is benefiting, these musicians can only regroup, rebuild, and move on. Or, as Kulash sings poignantly, "It's a disaster, it's an incredible mess, but it's all we got now."
OK Go is bringing Dylan's unparalleled songwriting to a new generation with their cover "I Shall Be Released." As Dylan wrote, "They say everything can be replaced." This synthesized version starts like a heart beat, on the pulse of a city that once lost its life and is just starting to be revived. Knowing the story of the singer Al "Carnival Time" Johnson makes Dylan's lyrics that much more heartbreaking—Johnson's home was destroyed in Katrina, demolished by the state, and he relocated to Texas like so many others. In this context, Dylan's lyrics are even more haunting and heartbreaking. ("They say every man must fall," "I remember every face of every man who put me here"). Dylan's song is like an old Southern church hymn and is incredibly apropos for Johnson. The song is inherently sad, but the liveliness of the horns in the background gives a sense of hope to this story. A wise choice of song for this album, an album which will ultimately help rebuild a home for Johnson, or as he echoes Dylan's words, "Any day now, any day now, I shall be released."
OK Go's digital EP packs more story and life into five tracks than most thoughtless manufactured crap on the air these days. The album is about redemption and resurrection as much as a church sermon, but in the musical spirit of a city that almost lost both its music and its spirit. OK Go refuses to see that happen.
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Bonerama too
Written by Guest on 2008-02-10 15:54:44
Hey just want to let you know that it was Bonerama's Mark Mullins who arranged these songs and it's the band Bonerama that is playing all the music on these tracks that feature Damian from OK GO.
It's Bonerama featuring Damian from OK GO |
Written by Guest on 2008-02-13 01:32:46
very well put..OK Go still isn't a nationally recognized name but finally there's a review that do them justice. |
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