OK Go

Working with a bunch of 20-somethings, I look forward to hearing new and interesting music, the kind that my friends and I listened to at the same time in our lives. Not the same music, but new music. I was fortunate enough to work in a place with an eclectic bunch that listened to all sorts of music and I got to listen to a lot of it. The sad reality now, however, is that most young adults (ie. the 20-somethings) listen to stuff like the Beatles, "old school" rap and crappy 80's music because it's so ironic. I like 80's music as much as the next guy, but the stuff that was sub-par and overplayed then is not suddenly more enjoyable to listen to now. Hall and Oates are not so awesome that need to played non-stop, I don't care how much you like "Maneater."

(Which is a good song, but I digress)

It seems rare that a new band comes along that doesn't sound like every other band that also just came around. I try listening to a lot of the new music my younger friends and co-workers rave about and most of it is sadly unimpressive. Most people that know me, know that I tend to be pretty negative about popular movies, this is not the case with music. I like music and sometimes even enjoy "pop." However, I think with everything else that is being changed due to society's media over-saturation, music is becoming too genre-ed.

Musical genres have always been exacting; I can think of at least five sub-genres of reggae, I remember joking with my friend about all the sub-genres of punk music. However, with the internet bands have become able to focus on a particular group of listeners. And for some bands, it's really not about the money, they just want to create music, and in most cases, they want someone to hear it and tell them what they think.

This creates an annoying hodge-podge of music that few have the time to wade through. Your best bet is to hope that someone you know is going to play something new that you like. Or you just stumble across something yourself.

The band, OK-Go, first caught my attention with their video for "Here it Goes Again." You may remember it as that video where the guys were on the treadmills. But even after the novelty of the video wore off, the music was still good. Now they have released a new album, with new songs and new videos to go with the songs. Their new video is pretty cool, especially if you're some sort of band geek, I'm not, but I know people who are."This Too Shall Pass" is a very cool song. And, once again, they have made a very cool video to go along with it.

I was watching the video and I thought, "this is a cool video."

Then I thought, "these guys must have listened to a lot of the Kinks."

Which is cool because I like the Kinks, but more so, I like bands that are influenced by good music rather than stuff like Hall and Oates. But what interested me even more was their explanation as to why their videos that are on YouTube can't be embedded elsewhere. So now, not only have I found a band I like, I can like them without wrestling with the fact that I am supporting a douchebag. (ie. Mel Gibson, Russell Crowe etc.) Not only do I like them, but they seem smart as well, and that's just cool.