OK Go
Oh No
Capitol
There are those albums that need time to grow on you, and the ones that leave you humming their hooks well into the night. There are also those albums you love the moment you hear them and then that love quickly erodes into boredom and disinterest. Chicago’s OK Go means well with its sophomore effort Oh No, but its blend of new wave and indie rock simply falls flat. There are always those singles from mediocre bands that will get airplay on radio and television as a soundtrack to Ryan and Seth’s hijinks. There are a few of those here — “A Good Idea at the Time”, “Let It Rain” and “A Million Ways” — but over time even those begin to chafe the eardrums. As the album plays on, the only thing you’ll think when someone reaches for the repeat button will be ‘Oh no, not again.’
—Trevor Savory
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.