OK Go - 180/365
Label: Paracadute
Release Date: June 21, 2011
Already well-loved for their three albums, YouTube mega-videos, and ecstatic concert tours, OK Go's new 180/365 presents their latest breakthrough. The first album to be wholly released by the band's newly established Paracadute label, the 15-song, 58-minute live collection reinforces the Los Angeles based quartet's status as a bleeding edge, blockbuster outfit for the internet age.
The album kicks off with a nice crowd cheer behind the all powerful riff of "Do What You Want" and the song is executed flawlessly. I've always said the best start to a record is something loud and easy to get into. Otherwise, the first track will make the listener push the album away without even trying the rest of the album. With the songs recorded at a dozen different venues the first thing that should really be noted is the album's ability to not sound totally disjointed, kudos to producer Dave Fridmann for high-end mixing duties.
I'm gonna skip to the 2nd last track on the record because it's probably the most electronically demanding song to play live. "WTF?" starts off with a heavy bass riff that sort of sounds like the electronic fuzz sound that's at the start of the song. You can tell they carefully thought out how it would be performed live. The only criticism I have of it is Damian Kulsah's vocals on the track are very flat, I understand he has a high voice but he seems to have made it go so high it just sits and just slides along the top shelf. Overall, it would've been a great live experience, but the vocals themself just don't impress me.
The last track, "In The Glass" starts off a strumming of an electric guitar and then is followed with a slow piano and then moves back into the electric guitar playing the song's Intro and then the piano is noticeable again for a short amount of time and then they fall behind Damian's vocals. This is probably my favorite live track on the album for the reason that afterwards, it leaves you wanting more. Hopefully, they don't dawdle getting back to studio this time, like they did with "Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky"
I’ve never been one to enjoy the authenticity of a live album, particularly because I like the preciseness and refinement of albums which have been edited to all Hell. I feel nothing but admiration for OK Go. Nailing a live album in itself is a tough enough job, nailing one where the fifteen tracks were recorded over a year in twelve different locations should be impossible, but the band has managed it. This record is well worth checking out.
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