OK GO'S AND THE ADJACENT POSSIBLE – The Grammy®-Winning Band's First Album In A Decade
OK Go returns with And the Adjacent Possible, the band's ambitious fifth studio album and first full-length release since 2014's Hungry Ghosts. Even for a band known for pushing boundaries, the album is wildly eclectic—postmodern and genre-dissolving, with nods to Phil Spector, Toni Visconti, and Nile Rodgers sandwiched between the fuzzy, psychedelic opener, 'Impulse Purchase,' and the meditative, Zen-like closer, 'Don't Give Up Now.' Glued together by the distinctive mixing of the band's longtime collaborator Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Spoon, Tame Impala, MGMT), the twelve tracks collectively paint a portrait of a band comfortable in its own chameleon skin.
Listen to And the Adjacent Possible, released via Paracadute here: https://sym.ffm.to/andtheadjacentpossible
The band will deliver an extra special performance of 'Love,' its new single, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, April 15. Like the album's first track 'A Stone Only Rolls Downhill,' 'Love' is written from a father's perspective, but the weighty concerns of the first song give way to wonder and joy on this soaring new anthem.
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
Damian Kulash says, 'You know that dream where you're somewhere familiar, maybe your childhood home, but there's a door, one that was never there before, leading to some impossible magical place? Having children did that to my understanding of love. Suddenly, a huge new ballroom opened up off of the little apartment I've inhabited so long: a whole new wing of love, grand and soaring and utterly overwhelming. It is endlessly amazing that we exist — little, conscious clusters of stardust occurring, apparently by chance, in the vast emptiness of the universe. And we get to experience love. It is unbelievable.'
And since this is OK Go, of course there is a mind-melting music video. It always seems like the band can't possibly top themselves, but with today's release of the video for 'Love,' they've done it again. The single-take video features complex choreography between the band, 29 robots, and upwards of 60 mirrors to create a dazzling — and this time deeply moving — spectacle of infinite reflections and human-scale kaleidoscopes. Shot in the faded glory of a Budapest train station, the clip was concepted in partnership with creative agency SpecialGuest, co-directed by Damian Kulash, Aaron Duffy, and Miguel Espada, and produced by 1stAveMachine, with technology integration by SpecialGuestX.
View the video for 'Love' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz9BRl7DVSM
Always looking for new ways to document their elaborate videos, OK Go's Damian Kulash, Timothy Nordwind, Andy Ross, and Dan Konopka wore Ray-Ban Meta glasses throughout the production to capture behind-the-scenes footage - watch HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQufZQMXUhY. Learn more about the Universal Robots in the video HERE: https://www.universal-robots.com/en-us/landing-pages/syncing-30-robots-to-a-beat-the-making-of-ok-go-s-love-music-video/. For a more in-depth behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the video courtesy of Project Management Institute - please view HERE: https://youtu.be/_EKQKF4qPPI?si=q2wPiVop6qhaB3gT
'We're always drawn to spectacle and wonder,' says Kulash, 'and the goal, this time, was to take them somewhere more heartfelt and emotional than we have before. This song is so personal for me, and the infinite reflections bouncing between two mirrors are a perfect metaphor for the kind of overwhelming, reality-shifting love that I'm singing about. Two simple things come together, and new dimensions burst from them into existence. Magic unfurls endlessly. It's the impossible, right there before you. That's the kind of wonder that can bring me to tears.'
Combined views of OK Go's previous video, the stunning moving mosaic for 'A Stone Only Rolls Downhill' that features 64 videos playing across 64 phones, has already surpassed five million. Directed by Kulash and Chris Buongiorno (Star Wars: Skeleton Crew), it required more than a thousand takes, and over two hours and twenty minutes of single-take clips which are condensed into the final frame. Filmmaking magazine Shots marveled, 'Whenever a new OK Go video drops, the creative community's mixture of anticipation and professional jealousy is palpable."
The album packaging also demonstrates boundless creativity and meticulous attention to detail. The first vinyl pressing, limited to 3,000, is a two-LP set on 180-gram, 45RPM discs in a foil-stamped gatefold with full-color inner sleeves. A 3-dimensional sculpture pops up when listeners open it. The packaging was designed by Yuri Suzuki and Claudio Ripol from Team Suzuki with 3D sliceform design and popup structure by Wombi Rose, Hà Trnh Quc Bo, and Emilio LaTorre for Lovepop.
To listen to And the Adjacent Possible is to be taken on an emotional rollercoaster… in the best way possible. While the music is largely upbeat, the lyrics can be dark. OK Go's sardonic wit drives 'Impulse Purchase,' a playfully direct address to the algorithms that will choose its audience: 'Now, as a practical matter it's pointless/to address you directly here/Any probabilistic adjustments/will dissolve in the sea/of the everything-everyone-everywhere-ever-has-done that you swallowed before.' Even the brightly titled 'A Good, Good Day at Last' features lines like, 'Anger, she's more loyal/than her fickle sister Hope.' Yet rays of hope ('Love,' 'Don't Give Up Now') also abound.
Track Listing – And the Adjacent Possible
Impulse Purchase
A Stone Only Rolls Downhill
Love
A Good, Good Day at Last
Fantasy Vs. Fantasy
This Is How It Ends
Take Me with You
Better Than This
Golden Devils
Once More with Feeling
Going Home
Don't Give Up Now
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
7 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's HKUST handling ‘several' Harvard transfer applications
A university in Hong Kong that 'opened its doors to Harvard students' has made an offer of admission to one and is handling several transfer applications after the Trump administration last month barred the US Ivy League school from enrolling international candidates, many of whom are from mainland China. Advertisement At least two other local universities have also received inquiries from affected students. On Wednesday night, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation 'suspending the entry of foreign nationals' seeking to study at Harvard, citing its failure to address national security risks on campus. HKUST said on Thursday that since its announcement of support two weeks ago, it had received dozens of inquiries from students who had planned to study at Harvard or were already enrolled there. Advertisement 'HKUST is currently processing several transfer applications. An admission offer has been extended to one of the applicants,' a spokesman said.
Observer
7 minutes ago
- Observer
1.5 million pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat in Haj apex
MOUNT ARAFAT: Muslim pilgrims prayed atop Mount Arafat on Thursday during the high point of the annual Haj pilgrimage, as Saudi officials called on participants to refrain from being outside during the hottest hours of the day. Thousands of pilgrims were beginning to gather before dawn around the hill and the surrounding plain where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon. While some arrived early to take advantage of the relatively cool morning, many pilgrims will remain for hours of prayers and Koran recitals until the evening in the most arduous portion of the Haj. After sunset, they were to head to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and the sprawling tent city of Mina, where they would gather pebbles so they can perform the symbolic "stoning of the devil". "This is something that I used to see every year on the TV screen during Haj and I always thought: 'I wish I could be here'," said 33-year-old Ali from Pakistan, one of 1.5 million pilgrims who had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage. "I've been trying to get here... for the past 3 years," he added as he gazed at the mount. "I feel very blessed." Hundreds of pilgrims dressed in white dotted the mount itself, with many more at its foot praying or taking pictures. Earlier this week, Saudi authorities called on pilgrims to stay inside their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday, when the desert sun is at its harshest. Temperatures this year have already exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) as one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, kicked off earlier this week Officials have beefed up heat mitigation efforts aiming to avoid a repeat of last year's Haj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8C. "I came here early to (avoid) the sun and later I will pray inside my tent," said 54-year-old Adel Ismail, from Syria. With temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), robed pilgrims slowly circled the Kaaba, the black cube at the heart of Mecca's Grand Mosque which is Islam's holiest site. A Muslim pilgrim prays at Jabal Al Rahmah, also known as Mount Arafat, during the annual Haj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca on Thursday. — Reuters Others arrived en masse in the sprawling tent city of Mina on Mecca's outskirts, where they will stay overnight before the Haj 's high-point Thursday — prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon. "You feel like you're not in this world," Khitam, a 63-year-old pilgrim, said by phone, saying that "before Haj, I used to watch the Grand Mosque on TV all day." Before entering Mecca, pilgrims must first enter a state of purity, called ihram, which requires special dress and behaviour. Men don a seamless shroud-like white garment that emphasises unity among believers, regardless of their social status or nationality. Women, in turn, wear loose dresses exposing just their faces and hands. Authorities said over 1.5 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam that must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means. Officials have ratcheted up heat protection measures such as extra shade to avoid a repeat of last year, when 1,301 people died as temperatures hit 51.8C. "Last year, the heat was extremely intense, and people were lying on the streets, on the middle of the road and next to the walls," Alaa Refai, a pilgrim from Iraq, said, adding that he saw several dead people during the previous Haj. "This year the roads are empty," he added. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Following last year's lethal heatwave, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials to improve protection. Shaded areas have been enlarged by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands of additional medics will be on standby and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, Haj Minister Tawfiq al Rabiah said. Artificial intelligence technology will help process the deluge of data, including video from a new fleet of drones, to better manage the massive crowds. "The scene in Mina this year was completely different. We noticed that most pilgrims kept to their... tents instead of exposing themselves to the sun," Ibrahim bin Saleh al Mazni, from the Al Furqan group for Haj tours, said from Mina. "This reflects the success of the awareness campaign" of authorities he added, which have been striving to dissuade pilgrims from staying in the sun — with many faithful believing hardship was essential to Haj. Earlier this week, Saudi authorities called on pilgrims to stay inside their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday during the Haj's climax at Mount Arafat, when the desert sun is at its harshest. A Muslim pilgrim makes dua atop Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal Al Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the climax of the Haj pilgrimage. — AFP There, pilgrims assemble on the high hill and its surrounding plain for hours of prayer and Koran recital, staying there until the evening. There is little to no shade on Mount Arafat, leaving pilgrims directly exposed to the blistering desert sun for hours. Authorities said most of the deaths last year were among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to air-conditioned tents and buses. This year, they have cracked down on the unregistered, using frequent raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts. A billboard reading "No Haj without permit" greeted pilgrims as they arrived in Mecca. Haj permits are allocated to countries on a quota basis and distributed to individuals by lottery. But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs prompt many to attempt the Haj without a permit, even though they risk arrest and deportation if caught. Large crowds at the Haj have proved hazardous in the past, most notably in 2015 when a stampede during the "stoning the devil" ritual in Mina killed up to 2,300 people in the deadliest Haj disaster. Saudi Arabia earns billions of dollars a year from the Haj, and the lesser pilgrimage known as umrah, undertaken at other times of the year. — AFP
Ya Libnan
7 minutes ago
- Ya Libnan
Instead of disarming Hezbollah is smuggling arms from Syria to Lebanon
Security forces of the Syrian border city of Qusayr have foiled an attempt to smuggle an arms shipment into Lebanon, the Syrian interior ministry said. Qusayr was the base from which Hezbollah launched its attacks against the Syrian opposition with the aim of helping former Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad who was overthrown last December by the HTS rebels On its Telegram channel, the ministry said the shipment contained guided anti-tank missiles and 30mm ammunition. The weapons have been confiscated while the the drivers of trucks were arrested and referred to the relevant judicial authorities, the ministry added. This is not the first time that Syria's new authorities announce seizing weapons headed to neighboring Lebanon. Hezbollah was substantially weakened in its last war with Israel Hezbollah is listed as a terrorist organization by several countries
