Thunder, Lightning, Strike

by

The Go! Team

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The Go! Team might just have one of the catchiest albums of the year, "Thunder Lightning Strike." When it first came out, definitely the catchiest of last summer. Despite the current wave of nu-Manchester or new wave bands that are popping up, this Brighton band dips into a different musical well.

Their unique sound is made up of sunshine funk, big beats, peculiar samples, adrenaline-pumping rock, TV theme songs and the occasional cheerleader. (Yes, cheerleader) It opens with a charged trashcan drum song, "Panther Dash," before slipping into a series of funky, blippy grooves.

Those sounds run through the entire album, alternating between hyperkinetic rock'n'roll and colorful electronic big beats. It's all jammed with harmonica, horn, what sounds like a sitar, and hip-hop flourishes. And whatever style it is, it's danceable from beginning to end, densely packed with fun beats and wild rhythms.

In fact, it's hard to find a part of "Thunder Lightning Strike" that isn't packed with at least two kinds of sound at once. In fact, it sounds like they gathered every single instrument they could get their hands on, dosed them with Red Bull and planted them in front of a bunch of 1970s TV shows. That retro sound isn't a gimmick, however -- even if you don't have nostalgia for that TV era, the sound is wildly entertaining.

Their hyperdrivin' guitars might sound repetitive, if they didn't have lots of samples and extra instrumentation thrown in, including blaring trumpets and some explosive drums. And the flourishes range from glockenspiel to horns to harmonica. Without them, the music would seem a little too bare and ordinary.

And cheerleaders, of course -- there are some rousing cheerleader chants, exploding from the foot-stomping "Huddle Formation" and playfully chaotic "The Power Is On." It sounds like a football-game-turned-rave, with just the right amount of energetic messiness.

Imagine the Propellerheads on a sunny day, and you have the basic sound of the Go! Team. "Thunder Lightning Strike" -- perfect for a party or a wild night.