Product Description

'Proof Of Youth' is the second album from the Go Team, who succeed in blending a variety of genres to create a sound that uplifts and reminds the listener how fun music can be. The sextet from Brighton made a name for themselves mixing early hip-hop beats, 1970's funk and art-noise guitars on theirdebut 'Thunder, Lightning, Strike' in 2004 and have built on that mixture for this follow up, without losing their trademark retro sound. Singles include 'Grip Like A Vice' and 'Doing It Right'.

Track Listing

1. Grip Like a Vice
2. Doing It Right
3. My World
4. Titanic Vandalism
5. Fake ID
6. Universal Speech
7. Keys to the City
8. The Wrath of Marcie
9. I Never Needed It Now So Much
10. Flashlight Fight (Featuring Chuck D)
11. Patricia's Moving Picture

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5582 in Music
• Released on: 2007-09-10
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Is it possible to sound like you’re having more fun than The Go! Team? Probably not, going on Proof of Youth, the second album from Brighton’s brightest pop experimentalists. As on its predecessor, 2004’s Thunder, Lightning, Strike, the eleven songs of Proof of Youth burst out your speakers like tangy pop bubblegum, but on closer inspection, suggest a broader, braver web of influences; many bands can remind you of the chirpy soul singalongs of The Jackson 5, the metallic guitar clang of Sonic Youth, or the cut-and-paste sonic collages of Public Enemy’s The Bomb Squad, but only one can do it in a single song. "Grip Like a Vice" and "Titanic Vandalism" prove The Go! Team template is present and correct, joyful melanges of car-chase horns, double dutch vocals, melodic guitar, and crowd-hyping rapping from MC/cheerleader Ninja. But there’s more here than formula. "My World" is a simple, pretty interlude of acoustic guitar, shaker, and synthesiser straight from some Look Around You-style 1980s science show, "I Never Needed It Now So Much" is a naïve pop song featuring vocals from Solex, and the glorious "Flashlight Fight" is a Public Enemy pastiche that actually features Chuck D. Skill. --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

Great Tracks but Badly Produced
I quite like this album but can't handle listening to it all the way through in one go. The tunes whilst catchy tend to be a bit overenthusiastic which is good for one or two but then it starts to grate a bit.
The style of production adds to the grating as it's very lo-fi. I can't work out if this is on purpose or if it's just badly produced. If it's on purpose then I think they should consider polishing it up a bit as some of the music on these songs is top notch but it's lost a bit in the noise which is a big shame. There's no space in any of the mixes and they just tend to be a bit over loud and noisy which to me comes across as a bit naïve and amateurish. If the lo-fi sound is down to bad production then it's a shame as some of the arrangements and music on this album are excellent with some very inspiring stuff going on.
I'll be back to check them out again anyway and hope they get a better producer.

Uplifting
Just as with their debut - Thunder, Lightning, Strike - this album delivers a batch of joyful tunes that cannot fail to make you grin from ear to ear. It's difficult to say why this mash up of rap, dance and old melodies work - they simply do!

What hip hop should be
I first heard The Go! Team via their recent Doing It Right single - pop, brass, chants, unbelievably uplifting. The album is everything the single promises: a wonderful mess of cut ups, percussion, and general pop genius. The first record to get me excited about hip hop since De La Soul's first album (boy does that date me).

Currently welded to my CD player. Strongly recommended for those who want a massive pop rush and, well, surely that's everyone.