Proof Of Youth

Spin - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he enthusiasm they bring to their infectious second album simply can't be faked....[With] exuberant, playground jump-rope chants." Magnet - "[O]nly a churlish, dead-eyed cynic would refuse to be moved by this inspired mix of riotous noise and feel-good vibetasticness." Alternative Press - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "[D]ensely packed enough to make Phil Spector's Wall feel like a screen door. The Team still know how to get the party started..." Uncut - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] lo-fi, virtually bass-free disc of party music....It takes some thrilling risks..." Rolling Stone - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's the rare band that can switch from sampled music to live with no loss in riffage as they do here..."

'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 their debut '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'.|

The Go! Team burst onto the indie scene like the proverbial breath of fresh air. Their music, built on samples of schoolyard chants and TV theme rockers, made most everything else sound gray and a little timid in comparison. Thunder, Lightning, Strike, their debut album, was a brilliant record and Proof of Youth can't help but suffer when stacked up against it. Indeed, it might take a fews spins before you can shake the feeling that you're listening to outtakes from Thunder, Lightning, Strike, but once you do, the album reveals itself to be another, though slightly lesser, stroke of greatness. Rather than relying heavily on samples this time out, bandleader Ian Parton goes with a live band approach with samples blended in. It results in a slightly more organic sound, but one that's still recognizably the Go! Team. Meaning that the master tapes were dragged behind a car for a couple of miles and left out to melt in the hot August sun. The resulting tinny and muddy mess may be enough to give audiophiles the hives, but to everyone else it's an exciting mess that fairly explodes out of the speakers in a hissy rush of sound. The drums pound, the horns blare, the guitars wail and clatter, the vocals shout to be heard; it's a whirling fun house of music. Which would be enough to recommend the album, but the songs themselves are equally as impressive. "Grip Like a Vice," which features raps from female pioneers Lisa Lee of Cosmic Force and Sha Rock from Funky 4 + 1, is the equal of anything on Thunder; "Doing It Right" has lovely verses sung by guitarist Kaori Tsuchida to match the instantly hooky chorus; and "Patricia's Moving Picture" shows a sensitive side the group would be wise to investigate in the future. Taking the place of the samples on Proof of Youth are many guest appearances. Along with Solex's appearance, Marina from Bonde do Role sings on the stomping "Titanic Vandalism," two rap crews from opposite ends of the age spectrum (daycare cuties the Rappers Delight Club and real old-school jump-roping rappers the Double Dutch Divas) are on board for "Universal Speech," and Chuck D of Public Enemy raps on "Flashlight Fight." Only the latter guest spot feels like a gimmick. Chuck D's rap isn't as bad as his "Kool Thing" misadventure, but it sounds wildly out of place next to Ninja's exhortations and the old-school lightheartedness that prevails elsewhere. No doubt the idea of working with one of their heroes was a thrill for the band, but the album would have been better off without the song. One misstep isn't enough to ruin things, though, and if you can forgive them for basically making the same album again, Proof of Youth is a pretty solid continuation of some of the most exciting, innovative sounds around. Next time they'll have to stretch some, but for now the Go! Team is doing it right. ~ Tim Sendra

世界各地で絶賛されたファースト・アルバムを経て、ゲストも豪華な（パブリック・エナミーのチャックDやボンジ・ド・ホレも参加!）待望の2作目が登場した。今作もファンク、ソウル、パンク、ニューウェイヴなどをギュッと詰め込んで、最高にハッピーなグルーヴを生み出しています!　情報社会だからこそ孤立する〈普通の僕ら／私たち〉の逃避願望を、非日常的なトリップ感覚でキラキラとキッチュに切り取った一枚。
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