31 Days of Music - OK GO - Hungry Ghosts #tinychallenges

The guys on the treadmills? Really? It was novel and well done, but aren’t they just hacks?

Nope.

There are two things that really make this band stand out to me. First, they’re not just cookie-cutter what you hear on the radio. In fact, you’re not likely to hear them on the radio, which I consider a plus for most bands I like. Its not that all music on the radio is bad, but that the whole way in which radio is funded and its priorities point towards the lowest common denominator in listeners in order to make any money. Just not my preferred style.

Second, they’re not afraid to take risks doing things surrounding music, namely videos and their own label, that no one else is willing to touch. These guys are innovating in the business of music, not just the music. Just check out their catalog of videos and you’ll understand a small slice of what I mean. They’re not slickly produced, over-saturated art churned out for the masses. Instead, they are little vignettes of real life blown up to extreme size.

Why do I care so much about the things that are not purely the music? Somewhat it goes back to a principle of shared values; the band cares about the things that I care about and they use their creative expression to make that evident. But more so, its because of the magical ability they have to get my rowdy kids to stop and stare in mesmerized rapture whenever one of their videos is on the screen. A few minutes of peace is sometimes priceless.