Album review: oh okay LA

If you’ve never heard of the band “Ookla the Mok“, then you are missing a unique experience.  If you must have a comparision, it’s easiest to point to The Barenaked Ladies or They Might Be Giants.  You’ll find the same incredibly tight, highly zany lyrics, but I’d actually place Ookla a notch or two above either of the better-known bands.  (Millions of outraged fans have a perfect right to disagree with me on this, of course.  My taste is my own, and I speak only for myself.  However, I know what I like.)

On their previous albums, Rand Bellavia and Adam English have written about anything and everything, from nostalgia to super heroes to “close encounters of the fourth kind“, but their albums have always retained a degree of thematic unity.  On “oh okay LA“, they continue this trend.  Beyond any pun you might (or might not) observe, the album title clues you in to the fact that this album concentrates on mass media and “Hollywood culture”.  It also establishes a pattern for the titles of the tracks, in which single letters, short words, and abbreviations dominate.  Does this sound a wee bit odd, and perhaps overwhelming?  Welcome to the wonderful world of Ookla the Mok.  (Note, in addition to CD Baby, this album may also be found at eMusic and Amazon.  I get no comission from any of these links.)

Now let’s examine the individual tracks:

1. W.W.S.D.? — This track gets the album off to a rocking start with a tribute to everyone’s favorite Hanna-Barbera character.  In long form, this track asks “What would Scooby Doo do?”  Not only are the lyrics incredibly catchy (“If your mind’s in a fog / Don’t think too much — put your trust in dog”), but you can’t help but dance to the bouncy tune.
2. F. People — If you tune in to the Dr. Demento show, you may have heard this song, which spent several weeks on the Funny 5.  This tribute to Michael Jackson and other out-of-control celebrities (“famous people are weird”) was written before the famous trial took over the airwaves, but proved amazingly prescient.  Perhaps they’ll add another verse in honor of Mel Gibson.  Downbeat, and a bit funky, its another one that’ll stick with you long after the disc stops spinning.
3. P.M. Prima Donna — The very obscure title hides one of the nastiest puns on the album, and you’re going to have to actually hunt down a copy to find out what, ’cause I’m not going to give this one away.  The song is a tribute to (and amazingly accurate biography of) one of the great divas of pop-rock, Cher.  As the song says, “Cher’s the rare beyond compare Millionaire hair care heir”, and you won’t be able to stop humming along.  Like the first two songs, this one pulls you along in an unstoppable wave.
4. A.M. Suicide — This tribute to (or perhaps lament for) Gary Coleman is a complete change of pace.  The melody literally takes to form of a dirge, and the tone is pure ’80s angst.  Frankly, you might love this song, or you might hate it.  The folks I’ve talked to have been split, and I’m afraid that I fall on the side of dislike.  It certainly does serve to show that Ookla is willing to embrace a variety of styles, and who knows: you might be in the 50% who likes it.
5. LA (la land) – This song explicitly addresses the theme of the album.  On the surface a classic tribute to the American dream — wander out to LA; be discovered; and become the next big star.  However, it quickly becomes a bittersweet reflection on the brilliance of dreams and the dull tarnish of reality:  “Your mom and dad would be so  proud / So proud if you hadn’t changed your name”.  Beware: this one might make you think.
6. STS-107 — This is perhaps the most obscure title on the album.  The song is, on the surface, about Columbus and his expedition to sail around the world to India.  However, it becomes an anthem to the pioneering spirit and, when you realize the title is a reference to a particular ill-fated shuttle mission, and exhortation to maintain that spirit in spite of the costs.  (We remember the fallen, and then we shoulder their burdens and carry on their legacy.  This is the pioneer spirit that carried us from Europe to America, and from the Eastern colonies across the continent.)  This could have been a dirge, but it is instead a nicely uplifting song of inspiration.
7. Go On — Most albums contain at least one lesser work.  Sad to say, this song qualifies in my book.  It’s a perfectly acceptable bit of workmanship, telling the tale of a relationship’s end in a quite unexceptional manner.  It wouldn’t be out of place on any top 40 album, but it wouldn’t be the breakout hit on any of them.
8. Ex — Ookla has an unabashed fascination with science fiction themes, and the next two songs give free rein to this fascination.  “Ex” is a tribute to the X-Files as told from the point of Fox Mulder (“the truth is I just want to believe“) singing to Dana Scully.  It’s a loving tribute, and jolly fun.
9. Mr. W — This tribute to Star Fleet’s most famous half-klingon security officer is a must-listen for any fan of Star Trek.  It shows a deft handling of all of the Next Gen characters, with cameo mentions of everyone from Nurse Ogawa to Data’s cat Spot.  The high point of the song is the great Mr. W himself performing a Klingon rap.  Jimmy T. say’s “Check it out”.
10. O Sting — This is nought but a 90-second pun, with a decent instrumental hook and some clever wordplay in the build-up.  I won’t give away the punchline.
11. Buffalo, CA — It may surprise my more geographically challenged readers, but the snowy city on Lake Erie is not actually in the state of California.  The band indulges in a bit of wishful thinking, all to a driving beat, some up-beat accordion, and a few nice beach-band chords.  I wish they all could be BuffaloNY bands.
12. Hollywood’s Ending — Finally, the thematic closing.  The album is over; the movie is over; and we sing about endings.  In some respects this is a reprise of “LA (la land)”, looking beyond the Hollywood dream to the people dreaming those dreams.  While they’re at it the authors tie everything together with references to three or four other songs and leave us with one final word:  “goodbye”.

Taken in total, you have an album that will grab you on the first listen with an immediate hook and some incredibly catchy lyrics, and keep you wanting to listen all the way through.  On future listens, you’ll just come to appreciate the clever lyrics more, and see the depth in the slower more thoughtful songs.  I’ve had this album for some years now — I’m not very fast about reviewing things — and I’m still finding new insights and new things to like about it.  Why don’t you stop on by one of the merchant sites above and listen to a few samples to see what I mean.  It’ll be worth your time.

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