Review: The Go! Team:
Proof of Youth
Sep 13, 07
A lot has been said by the culture of me about bands making the same record over and over again on their next few efforts and how sometimes progression is needed and other times, not so much. If you've been a fan of the culture of me for some time now (and the three or four of you who can own up to that know who you are), you'd know that we're usually rather venomous when it comes to bands sounding the same over two records or more (see: Strokes, The).
Which makes it really awkward for us to give the new LP by Brighton, UK's The Go! Team such high praise on Proof of Youth, this year's follow up to 2005's undeniably well received Thunder, Lightning, Strike.
And it's only because you can't really mess with a sound like the one that The Go! Team create, what with the tinny, blaring sounds that make the listener imagine he/she is listening to Ronnie Spector record the theme song for "Starsky & Hutch" with Leaders of The New School and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore helping out on the sessions. But louder. Think over-modulating everything you can hear. Twice over.
Frontwoman/rapper/cheerleader Ninja is assisted by a bevy of guests on Proof, including Solex, Marina from Bonde Do Role, The Double Dutch Divas and Chuck D. Chuck D., I said y'all. Get into it.
Chock full of the same breezy instrumentals and segues to hold the rap/cheer-tastic lyricism of Ninja and the "we're a band not just a sampling squad" approach that the sextet seems to have taken on this record, you can't help but want to play tracks like "Doing It Right", "Grip Like a Vice" or "Keys To The City" until you suffer from tinnitus.
(mp3) Grip Like A Vice
Godspeed!
