Video renaissance men OK Go have done it again. When we posted the band’s amazing new auto-acoustic video for “Needing/Getting” early Tuesday, the YouTube page was registering views in the hundreds of thousands. It hit 5 million by the end of the day, and now it’s up to around 8 million or so.
I know that I personally have accounted for dozens of those visits, as the opening with the pianos is very infectious. In the video, which was done in conjunction with Chevrolet, the band’s four members ride around in a Chevy Sonic. The car and the two-mile course it cruises around are rigged with custom installations, including specially tuned pianos, guitars and other percussive items that turn motoring into music-making.
When all was said and done, a thousand instruments were set up. The band drove and performed “Needing/Getting” (off recent album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky) while navigating the course. The behind-the-scenes video being premiered below offers a look at the construction of the set.
Obviously the point of the video was to play the song using a car and accompanying instruments. Not only does one have to consider the sounds being made by the items collected, but the timing had to be worked out as well. Between the speed of the vehicle and the spacing in-between instruments, there was a lot of physics to consider.
The result is an experience that enhances the song and provides more than just a listening experience. Yesterday I mentioned that the song, as it stands on the album, is mediocre, but it is made much better by the video and complex simplicity of the instruments. Watching the video as many times as I have, I start thinking about the logistics of it all.
After watching the behind-the-scenes video, don’t forget to go back and watch the “Needing/Getting” video again. When performance art is this good, you don’t even mind that it’s an ad.