What kind of crazy fucked up world do we live in where an OK Go song is better than the video?<\/p>\n
I’ll be honest.\u00c2\u00a0 I’m not a fan of OK Go.\u00c2\u00a0 The music, that is.\u00c2\u00a0 Like Damian Kulash, like their manager, but you’d never find me listening to any of their music…unless it was the background to one of their videos.<\/p>\n
Yes, OK Go makes the best online music videos.\u00c2\u00a0 Universal might think they’re establishing the new paradigm, monetizing their uber-expensive videos via Vevo, but they’re totally wrong, it’s OK Go that’s writing the future.<\/p>\n
Art is about conception.<\/p>\n
I’ll say one thing…\u00c2\u00a0 How did they come up with this canine video?\u00c2\u00a0 I mean what gave them the idea?\u00c2\u00a0 That’s why the Ramones were so great, not because they could sing or play better than anybody else, but because they saw the world in a new way and came up with a unique sound.<\/p>\n
That’s a true artist.\u00c2\u00a0 One who hits us between the eyes with that which we couldn’t even conceive of.<\/p>\n
And OK Go is so good at videos, that I check out every one.\u00c2\u00a0 Hell, the Rube Goldberg clip is a classic.<\/p>\n
So, I found myself viewing the video for "White Knuckles" based purely on rep.\u00c2\u00a0 You might ask what kind of crazy fucked up world we live in where I’m into a band’s videos more than their music, but the point is OK Go at least stands for SOMETHING!\u00c2\u00a0 I.e. Great videos.\u00c2\u00a0 They’re not me-tooers.\u00c2\u00a0 Hell, they’ve left their label and are going their own way.\u00c2\u00a0 Getting all the licensing money…\u00c2\u00a0 That’s the key to indie.\u00c2\u00a0 Not the overall gross, but how much of what comes in you keep, not having to pay the label and…<\/p>\n
So, OK Go got me to play along long enough until I finally got their music.\u00c2\u00a0 Yup, "White Knuckles" is an hypnotic, Devo-esque track that the progenitors have a hard time equaling decades on, I like it.<\/p>\n
Let this be a lesson to you.\u00c2\u00a0 Everybody’s on their own these days.\u00c2\u00a0 You might think having a big label or a powerful manager means you can lay back and still make it, but you’re wrong.\u00c2\u00a0 Now, more than ever, it comes down to the artist.\u00c2\u00a0 You have to build your own attention.\u00c2\u00a0 Through your art.\u00c2\u00a0 Which may not be music only.<\/p>\n
OK Go has blazed a trail that marries the innocence of early MTV with new technologies to go directly to their audience and hook them.<\/p>\n
Pay attention now kiddies:<\/p>\n
\n