About a year ago, Chicago power-poppers OK Go avoided a dreaded sophomore slump via one low-budget video with high-concept choreography. A million downloads of “A Million Ways” garnered them incredible exposure. And they’re still milking it! (You have until the end of the month to enter the OK Go Dances With You(tube) Contest.)
But it doesn’t end there. Check out the band’s new video for the appropriately titled “Here It Goes Again.”
Maybe I’m being jaded (OK, I’m being jaded), but … really? More nerd dancing?
What do you guys think? Too much of a good thing or let the dance, dance revolution continue?
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It’s a cool video and all, but they’re just re-doing what made them successful hoping for the same success. Sacrificing originality for profit. Lame.
How could anyone call that lame? This is seriously so much better than anything nominated for an MTV award this year.
Fantastic!
That was pretty awesome.
I have dial-up so I didn’t get to watch it, but still…I never get sick of watching nerds dance.
On paper, it’s bad (more no-budget dancing, bass guy does the singing again), but when you actually watch it (and consider the amount of members who surely must have died), it’s actually kind of amazing.
In my book, they still haven’t made a bad video (check out okgo.com). This is the last dancey vid pass they get, though. It’s a nice idea, but they shouldn’t milk it.
i like it. i liked ‘a million ways’ as well, but i agree if they do it again…no thanks.
still amusing, and it must’ve taken a whole hell of a lot of time to get right. but quite frankly, i forgot they existed, and to see another video of them doing the same thing… and the time the memory lapse spans… could’ve come up with something a tad bit more original. despite the scarcity of channels playing videos these days (but still widely viewable on youtube if so inclined) it does sh-t-harm to yourself to replay yourself in an art form as wildly varied and still workable as the music video. c’mon.
/end rant
I thought it was hilarious, thoroughly enjoyable. Now, officially, they have taken the concept as far as it can go (two was just enough, no more dancing vids now) but I thought it was low-budget, hilarious, clever, and I kept saying to myself either “that looks like fun!” or “how did they do that?” Good call for them. If it gets people to come out to their shows solely for that reason, they will be impressed with what they find because they put on a tight live show with minimal dancing. Highly recommended.
This is the worst video I have ever seen. It has terrible coreography, and its ode to virtual insanity is neither flattering or ironic. I could have made somthing better in my basement. Funny enough it is linked from you tube. It fits nicely with the other pathetic videos that permeate that site. If I wanted to watch a bunch of losers making fools out of themselves I would have hitched a ride to the local hipster open mic night and “snarked” at their tube socks and retarded skinny suits… horrible
For what it’s worth, they did a choreographed dance as a pre-encore when I saw them live about a year ago (before the “A Million Ways” frenzy hit). I think them boys just love to nerd-dance.
The singer’s sister is a ballroom dance instructor or a Choreographer– I forget which, but that explains why they incorporate dance so often. I don’t think that the “A Million Ways” video should be credited with “Breaking them”. When they performed the song (actually they just danced) on Good Morning America, the hosts didn’t even say that they were ok go, they said they were dancing to an Ok Go song. Why can’t dancing be their trademark? It’s a lot more intersting than reading about another fucking Beirut show…
i really loved the video
honestly, i dont think it was made for people to take so seriously, so why put it down mann. its good :]
see, here’s the thing. they had one hit a lonnngg time ago, which most people don’t remember. and they weren’t really heard from again until the last video. i really like them as a band and i like their sound.
and i must commend them on practicing all these nerdy dance moves just to get a super choreographed music video for about 3 minutes. i loved this one, and the one before [although, the one before had better dance moves..this one was moreso "hey we're good at using tredmills"]
but i do agree with some of you above me..loved it the first time. liked it the second. do it a third time, and you’re fired.
GET GET GET GET GET OVER IT!!!
fuck that, they can juice it all they want. you know you’ll watch it even if they do it another 5 times.
i think it’s great. i’m a huge ok go fan and what made them semi-popular was the dancing video… so who can blame them for sticking with what worked?
I never saw the original video, and I liked that one a lot.
let’s everyone take a moment to read ben’s comment. he’s just taken the PSAT, but wants us to believe he’s old enough to go to hipster bars.
THAT VIDEO RULES. Everyone’s commenting like they’re applying to write headlines for pitchfork. Snark is the new pink, which is to say, it’s played out.
I think if they’d staged another dance in the backyard it would have been hokey, but the treadmills are a nice twist. If nothing else, it keeps you going back to try to figure out how they managed it all without losing a limb or 8. I think the music’s great, and if they have to use a little humor and ridiculous dance moves to get the music noticed then I’m all for it.
And really, this video is just hilarious.
You are being jaded. It’s sad. They made this shortly after the last one and held onto it for a year, for fear of exactly this kind of bullsnausage. If they hadn’t released it, their album would be done and that’d be the end of it and them for at least a couple of years. It’s not like anyone linked to their last two non-dancing regular rock videos. So cut them some slack. They’ve far eclipsed their last one, and gotten people to actually hear the song again. Not bad.
(and duh–yes, it’s true: I’m a very big fan!)
Are they milking it? Maybe. But who ever heard of a musical act pulling the same gimmick over and over in their music videos? Ahem…
I think it’s a very original twist on their last video and it’s tons more interesting than almost anything on MTV.
I originally saw them do a routine like this to ?C-C-C-Cinnamon Lips? on a This American Life tour a few years ago and it was awesome.
Screw it. Let ‘em do what they want. Should they go for three? If they come up with a great idea, you bet they should.
Sure, the “Million Ways” video had the internet going nuts for a minute…but are they actually selling any records? Not being snarky, but I was under the impression that their second album sorta flopped like the first one. Maybe I’m wrong.
i hate this band and that song, but damn that is some serious choreography. must have taken forever. it was fun to watch.
“It’s a lot more intersting than reading about another fucking Beirut show…”
thank you for taking the words from my brain.
same bullshit everyone said save for ben.
one, two, three strikes i’m bored.
i loved it
When this band first came out, the vids tried to push them as a cute teen idol outfit. This is so much better.
They do great, fun power-pop and this whole one-shot, static-camera DIY stuff is a bold way to go. Embracing YouTubism — hooray, the democritization of technology — is one thing, but making it fun to watch for three minutes w/o f/x or edits takes a lot of creativity. If they can come up with a third variation, I hope they go for it… though I don’t want to see them hauling out the treadmills during their encores.
I love that the shiny backdrop is crooked.
And now, I’m going to go watch it again.
I think the concept is genius and could care less if it’s a rehash of their previous video. It’s engaging ,creative and really makes you feel like the band enjoys what they do.
Before “a million ways” went huge, I saw OK GO opening for the Kaiser Cheifs in Toronto. They performed the most boring show I have ever seen. When it was finally done, they did their dance act. People went bonkers! No one gave a rats ass about their music. So I guess they’ve figured out what their good for.
OK Go is the coolest! Yay for OK Go and Tim! WOOO!
uhhh, did someone call out the OK Go defense squad? I’ve never seen so much support thrown behind mediocrity on this site before…
I agree with the general sentiment – as long as they kick it up a notch, then they’re not recycling. As Kid A/Amnesiac are to OK Computer, this is to previous backyard choreographed homemade dancing music videos. they’re a little overwrought on the fashionista hipster tip, though.
I didn’t want to like it, but damnit, I did. A lot.
Ok Go to do list.
1. Spend 5 dollars on a video
2. Put video on YouTube
3. Make millions in profit.
Genius.
p.s.
Great title Scott. Keep up the good work.
here it goes again, indeed. how clever.
i’ve been an OK Go fan since i was twelve [i'm sixteen now], and i love this.
i liked the “virtual insanity” video, but i still think that this is original. you know, other than their previous nerd-dancing video.
let it continue.
im pissed i didnt think of it first
Um, The OK Go are the new Smithereens. And no, that’s not a compliments. And they lifted that chorus riff from the coda of The Office’s “Big Bang Jump” or the old MTV theme (take your pick).
I will go so far as to say that OK Go is the only reason ever to watch a music video anymore.
its fucking brilliant. their music is too!
well, here’s some good dancing:
http://blog.super45.cl/2006/08/03/video-de-the-rapture-gotta-get-myself-into-it/