There wasn’t any doubt that the band OK Go has made a lasting impression on the world of music, but the recent video by folk/punk/rock/what-have-you band AJJ pushes them to a whole new level: extreme parody.
The Phoenix, Arizona band’s video for “Goodbye, Oh Goodbye” takes every opportunity to poke fun at the incredibly intricate videos we’ve come to know and love from OK Go. While the highly choreographed and (we’re sure) exorbitant videos of OK Go consistently wow us, AJJ went the exact opposite route and turned every one of those characteristics on their heads.
The parody aspects of the video, recently posted by Noisey, begin with the band members, adorned in tetrachromatic t-shirts, standing at the ready like most OK Go videos. The video then presents low-budget analogues of many of the OK Go tropes we’ve come to love but with the groggy poise of someone just waking up from a nap. And make no mistake, it’s absolutely perfect. The four members of AJJ march along in vague synchronization as the camera zooms in and out showcasing the purposely blasé actions of the band and various unimpressive use of props.
The real pay-off comes at the end of the video where the entire production celebrates after the “perfect take” and launch into making-of style testimonials about what went into the impressive video. Stating that months of preparation and training went into it, we see various “failed” attempts at the video and input from the video’s sponsor; Soylent. There’s even a final punch to the overarching joke when the band, in testimonial form, completes that in a “perfect take” causing the making-of crew to rejoice in the same way all over again.
Beyond the video parodying almost every single OK Go video in existence, “Goodbye, Oh Goodbye” is a solid song reminiscent of bands like The Mountain Goats albeit a bit more infused with a punk rock vibe. AJJ’s new album, The Bible 2, won’t be out till August of this year but we certainly cannot wait to hear it.
What are your thoughts on the video? Did AJJ miss any OK Go video tropes? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Image: AJJ
