GO! TEAM - Proof Of Youth

Riding the crest of the wave almost by accident. The tangle of sounds, styles and samples of "Thunder, Lightning, Strike" turned out to be one of the most distinctive and successful divertissements of the early millennium. Go! Team are back, returning after a good three years to serve us their "Proof Of Youth".

The absence is both justified and unjustified. Unjustified in that it hasn't brought either improvements or substantial stylistic differences. Justified in that, despite falling well short of the flashes of brilliance of its illustrious predecessor, the band still manages to deliver a handful of good songs, tight and compelling.

Let's get into the details. Fans of "Panter Dash" or "Junior Kickstart" should brace themselves: Go! Team have said goodbye to instrumental blasts (only "Patricia's Moving Picture" survives, and even that is mellow). The template chosen, and repeated without variation for a good three quarters of the record, is that of "The Power Is On" or, rather, "Bottle Rocket". Chaotic, party-starting songs, with their whirlwind of horns, guitars, percussion, vocals and assorted noises; even far less catchy than one might expect.

The team has limited itself to revisiting one strand of the debut's expressive fury, and not even the best one. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. Because the result is still fully worthy and enjoyable. Tracks like "Grip Like a Vice", "Doing It Right" and "Keys to the City" combine high energy with high quality. The same goes for the aggressive "Titanic Vandalism" and the retro rap of "Flashlight Fight"; and, ultimately, for most of the record. The different approaches are confined to the lesser tracks: "Fake ID" (a pleasant poppy tune) and "I Never Need It Now So Much" (an annoying Field Music-style indie-British melody) try out the alternative route of a more linear approach.

Moving just enough to stay in place, Go! Team neither confirm the over-the-top applause nor scatter it to the wind. Although normalization remains an uncertain path, and inspiration has today lost some of its brilliant edge, "Proof Of Youth" still manages to convince and entertain.

Ride the wave of great music

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09/09/2007