2 weeks Ago
returns with , the band’sambitious fifth studio album and first full-length releasesince 2014’s . Even for a band knownfor pushing boundaries, the album is wildlyeclectic—postmodern and genre-dissolving, with nods toPhil Spector, Toni Visconti, and Nile Rodgers sandwichedbetween the fuzzy, psychedelic opener, and the meditative, Zen-like closer, Glued togetherby the distinctive mixing of the band’s longtimecollaborator Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Spoon, TameImpala, MGMT), the twelve tracks collectively paint aportrait of a band comfortable in its own chameleonskin. Theband will deliver an extra special performance of its new single, on on Tuesday, April 15.
Like thealbum’s first track is written from afather’s perspective, but the weighty concerns of thefirst song give way to wonder and joy on this soaring newanthem. And sincethis is OK Go, of course there is a mind-melting musicvideo. It always seems like the band can’t possibly topthemselves, but with today’s release of the video for‘Love,’they’ve done it again.
The single-take video featurescomplex choreography between the band, 29 robots, andupwards of 60 mirrors to create a dazzling — and this timedeeply — spectacle of infinite reflectionsand human-scale kaleidoscopes. Shot in the faded glory of aBudapest train station, the clip was concepted inpartnership with creative agency SpecialGuest, co-directedby Damian Kulash, Aaron Duffy, and Miguel Espada, andproduced by 1stAveMachine, with technology integration bySpecialGuestX. Alwayslooking for new ways to document their elaborate videos, Damian Kulash, Timothy Nordwind,Andy Ross, and Dan Konopka wore Ray-Ban Meta glassesthroughout the production to capture behind-the-scenesfootage - watch https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=LQufZQMXUhY. Learn moreabout the Universal Robots in the video https://www.
universal-robots.com/en-us/landing-pages/syncing-30-robots-to-a-beat-the-making-of-ok-go-s-love-music-video/.For a more in-depth behind-the-scenes documentary on themaking of the video courtesy of Project Management Institute- please view https://youtu.
be/_EKQKF4qPPI?si=q2wPiVop6qhaB3gT “We’realways drawn to spectacle and wonder,” says Kulash, “andthe goal, this time, was to take them somewhere moreheartfelt and emotional than we have before. This song is sopersonal for me, and the infinite reflections bouncingbetween two mirrors are a perfect metaphor for the kind ofoverwhelming, reality-shifting love that I’m singingabout. Two simple things come together, and new dimensionsburst from them into existence.
Magic unfurls endlessly.It’s the impossible, right there before you. That’s thekind of wonder that can bring me to tears.
” Combinedviews of previous video, thestunning for that features 64 videos playing across64 phones, has already surpassed five million. Directed byKulash and Chris Buongiorno ( ), it required more than a thousand takes, and overtwo hours and twenty minutes of single-take clips which arecondensed into the final frame. Filmmaking magazine marveled, “Whenever a new OK Go video drops,the creative community's mixture of anticipation andprofessional jealousy is palpable.
" The albumpackaging also demonstrates boundless creativity andmeticulous attention to detail. The first vinyl pressing,limited to 3,000, is a two-LP set on 180-gram, 45RPM discsin a foil-stamped gatefold with full-color inner sleeves. A3-dimensional sculpture pops up when listeners open it.
Thepackaging was designed by Yuri Suzuki and Claudio Ripol fromTeam Suzuki with 3D sliceform design and popup structure byWombi Rose, Hà Trnh Quc Bo, and Emilio LaTorre for . Tolisten to is to be taken on an emotional rollercoaster..
. in the bestway possible. While the music is largely upbeat, the lyricscan be dark.
sardonic wit drives a playfully directaddress to the algorithms that will choose its audience:“Now, as a practical matter it’s pointless/to addressyou directly here/Any probabilistic adjustments/willdissolve in the sea/of theeverything-everyone-everywhere-ever-has-done that youswallowed before.” Even the brightly titled features lines like,“Anger, she’s more loyal/than her fickle sister Hope.”Yet rays of hope (“Love,” “Don’t Give Up Now”)also abound.
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