Danish art pop. A delightful band name that amounts to a pun about one of the most infamous women in rock history. Killer haircuts (well, at least the dude on the right). What more could you really ask for from an indie band these days?
How about a good song?
Well, Oh No Ono certainly has one of those in the form of “Helplessly Young,” the second single to be released from the band’s forthcoming full-length U.S. debut, Eggs. Unique instrumentation, inspired tempo changes, a carefree and almost childlike approach to the vocals, and an H1N1-level infectious set of hooks, “Helplessly Young” has me hoping that somebody somewhere forks out the dough to fly the dudes from Aalborg stateside in March for a much-deserved SXSW performance and, why not, a US tour to cement their status as the next art pop band to take this country by storm. Because, mark my words, that’s what they’ll be. Or, at least, ought to be.
In the meantime, since we can’t take a vote to pressure President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton to bring Oh No Ono over here on a well-financed cultural exchange visit, we can engage in a little participatory democracy concerning the band’s video for this track. Right now, there are three different video versions, and Aske, Malthe, Nis, and Nicolai are hosting a contest to determine which one will be the winner. Below is my favorite version, but you can check out the other two here. C’mon – do it! It’ll be good practice for the fall midterms.
Eggs, Oh No Ono’s debut full-length album (at least here in the US), comes out January 26th on Friendly Fire (except in every party of Europe not called Denmark, where it is being handled by The Leaf Label).
