OK GO

With a name that sounds like some sort of Japanese t-shirt, this band from Chicago got some fame for a "viral video", the one above that was filmed in the backyard, and choreographed by one of the band member's sister.

Both Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy said it required a lot of practice to appear impromptu in Before Sunset, the sequel to Before Sunrise. The initial sense you get watching the video is "I could do that". After all, they have the coordination of water buffalos in heat. (To be fair, I don't know what water buffalos in heat look like, but I think the phrase is funny, nevertheless).

The second thought is "that's rather clever". The band members look like geeks dressed up in suits, their moves practiced just enough to admire the cleverness, but without that precision that Michael or Janet Jackson were noted for in their videos. There's a Ethel Merman, synchronized swimming quality, in some of their moves.

If this video is appealing, it must be because it is silly, and yet the band members are keenly aware of how silly it is. It is a low-fi version of the ultra-polished dance moves from boybands and the Jacksons.

They've followed this up with a clever video done on eight treadmills. Just the thinking it took to do this video puts in the pantheon of other organized geekiness, like the water fountains of Bellagio video done by two guys with hundreds of liters of Diet Coke and Mentos.

And you know what? The songs are catchy too. These are infectious pop ditties that don't take itself too seriously.

And it's one of the first videos that have caught on in the You Tube generation, where millions of users look for clever videos, being human data miners, then post the best of these to websites like reddit or Digg. I don't think we've seen where You Tube (and others--Google Video, etc) are ready to take us. Small bands with cool videos are likely to be one of the more sucessful users of this new technology.

Of course, armed with the video, it's a small matter to read up on the band. As with many bands, they have their MySpace page. They have a Wikipedia entry. Apparently, they've been associated with They Might Be Giants, also another favorite geek band. Perhaps one of the more clever ideas is to use Tim Nordwind, the most distinctive looking of the band members to do the lip-synch, even as Damian Kulash is the lead singer.

The band's touring now, mostly through Europe.

I've got the CD being sent to my place, and hope to give it a listen on Tuesday.