We Just Won’t Be Defeated

Definitive List of Great things that come in twos:
Animals on Noah’s Arc
Twinkies
Shoes
Batteries
Drummers for The Go! Team

… yeah. That looks about right.

If you’re wondering about that last one, allow me to inform you.

The Go! Team is a Brighton-based six-piece that has yet again brought the funky funky jamz with their latest release, Proof of Youth, out on today on Sup Pop Records. While the overall feel of the record is the same as 2004’s Thunder, Lightning, Strike, the sound is richer, more developed, and the frenetic energy of band leader Ian Parton harnessed and redirected into making this album one of the more exciting releases this year.

Their sound goes beyond typical indie rock fare – combining Double Dutch jump-rope chant vocals courtesy of female frontwoman Ninja, noise-pop guitar by Sam Dook and multi-instrumentalist Kaori Tsuchida, and driving drum beats served up by their two drummers: Dook and male frontman Ian Parton.
The effect is so strong that one cannot just listen to The Go! Team; you have to write a screenplay for a movie that will feature solely their songs as the soundtrack. You have to play hopscotch and then race to the monkey bars. You have to get up and dance around your dorm room while eating fruit snacks when you roommate is away studying.

The sound alone is reason enough to recommend this album to anyone, but what seals the deal is the artist collaborations and the track-to-track song strength. Artists featured on Proof of Youth include Bonde du Role’s Marina Ribatski, Rapper’s Delight Club, and none other than Public Enemy’s Chuck D.
“Flashlight Fight,” featuring Chuck D. is an all out assault – a swarm of cartoon bees that chases you until you jump into a lake and then hovers there above you, waiting. Other strong tracks include the single “Grip Like a Vice,” which claws it’s way out of the speakers demanding to be heard, and album closer “The Wrath of Marcie,” a song that grabs the audience and struts with them into the sunset.

While Proof of Youth is perfect as is, I cannot help but fear that when the next album comes that we will see The Go! Team having to bend to create an equally enjoyable album without sounding played out. But for now, I am happy to enjoy their company, and the feelings of childhood happiness that they evoke.