Fit To Review

September 11th 2007 by E..

This week in the Y-Rock e-Newsletter, my review of The Go! Team’s latest can be found!…it will be archived on the site soon, but here it is for your enjoyment…

The Go! Team - Proof of Youth (Sub Pop)

If you’ve ever made a mix for someone that had a song from the 70s or 80s right next to a modern tune, you have no doubt noticed that the older song is somewhat quieter. This is because in recent years, we have better understanding of how we really listen to music on a scientific level. I’ll spare you the technicalities, but essentially if we hear a song on the radio, and the song right after it is a teensy bit louder, our minds understand that second song as being a teensy bit better. Because of this, modern record engineers are maxing out bands like never before. Then there’s The Go! Team. They have taken the approach to make their music so hi-fi, it goes back to being lo-fi. With fuzzy guitars and fuzzier vocals, it’s best to listen to their new album, Proof Of Youth, as an instrumental album, even for the songs with words. With the exceptions of a few songs (including first single “Grip Like A Vice”), the vocals act as just another instrument in the Wall Of Sound-esque mix. The gang expands on the inklings of hip-hop, as well as the counting off of choruses that could be found on 2004’s Thunder, Lightning Strike. While it’s hard to pick standout tracks from the non-stop party, “Doing It Right” and Chuck D collaboration “Flashlight Fight” are the punch and disco ball for this shindig. Incidentally, my first exposure to The Go! Team wasn’t even musical in nature. Their artwork that adorns the WXPN studio walls is a standout amongst all the other signatures and drawings. The fact that the band is good at drawing cartoons somehow makes sense to me. Proof Of Youth is a very cartoonish album, from one upbeat track to another.

Review by Eric Schuman

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