The Band OK Go is A Pop Hybrid That Puts You in a Good Mood

By now you've probably seen their attention grabbing video as they slide and goof on the treadmills. Talk about getting a girl in the mood for a work out.

They're upbeat. They're bouncy. They're fun to listen to. If being described this way makes OK Go a pop band, then yes, they're pop. They're a hybrid that can't be categorized, nor do they want to be. Catch Damian Kulash's Jagger-esque style in Invincible. (Just listening to "You're in-VIN-sa-BUHL," I can see his elbows flapping, chest out.)

The cheerfulness of most of the songs on Oh No, OK Go's second record, can't be denied. It's bubblegum with an edge. But in spite of this, there is punk merged with garage rock. It's a paradox, I know. But once upon a time, Jimi Hendrix opened for The Monkees. There is some Fall Out Boy mixed with the teachings of classic rockers like the Stones and Beatles, as well as Bowie and Prince, on all of whom Kulash et al. were weaned.

Damian Kulash, lead singer, guitarist, and naturally evolved leader, says their collective goal is "straight ahead rock and roll" meant to "kick you in the soul." He is proud of this effort, feeling that it "sounds more like us" than their first.

One of the tracks that is not the standard bouncy fare is Oh Lately It's So Quiet, a song about love gone wrong. The backup vocals invoke such sadness that tears could be shed. "Oh, lately it's so quiet/ in this place/Oh, darlin'/if you're not here hauntin' me/I'm wonderin'/ whose house/are you hauntin'/ tonight?"

The cowbell and bass in Do What You Want take me back to Mountain's Mississippi Queen, while the "Come on, come on" is reminiscent of Paul Revere and the Raiders meets the Seeds' Pushin' Too Hard. "So you were born in an electrical storm/Took a bite out the sun…/Come on, come on/ Do what you want/ Welcome to Rome/ Do, do, do, do what you want."

A Good Idea at the Time looks at wishful thinking and good intentions gone awry, again with channeling of the Seeds' Sky Saxon. Speaking of channeling, The House Wins hints that Kulash could do a mean rendition of Foxy Lady or Purple Haze, were he so inclined.

Perhaps one of the most popular pieces even before the record hit stores was the downloadable Million Ways. Choreographed by Kulash's sister, the boys dance in a backyard, thoroughly enjoying themselves and being silly. A way with words again comes through: "Oh, such grace/oh, such beauty/and lipstick/ and callous/ and fish nets/ and malice/ Oh, darlin'/You're a million ways to be cruel."

While the band mates are deeply devoted to political activism and doing their best to see that the younger generation is ready to vote as soon as they have the chance, their musical style touches more on relationships, love, and hanging out. Lyrics tend to be ambiguous, but style is, from where I sit, music to make you smile and nod your head and tap your knee. Yes, Dick, it has a good beat and you can dance to it.