Go! Team

Proof of Youth - album review 10/25/07

Biweekly, I am confronted with the task of finding a pair of bands whose albums have recently released or are touring in the area. One review here, one review there; the two don't often cross paths other than their proximity in the same periodical. But late last night, flying at 70mph between Maine and Massachusetts, The Go! Team's Proof of Youth played in turn, over and over, with Beirut's The Flying Club Cup.

Let me explain.

The Go! Team is a team of musicians/cheerleaders who approach indie music like homecoming and everyone is better for it. Electronic sounds are drawn from 1970s television, low-fi garage bands, and piano parts Schroeder from Peanuts would be proud of. Vocals range from syncopated rap reminiscent of the late 80s/early 90s, group cheers and melodies that sound like they were sung at a high school chorus concert. Proof of Youth builds where Thunder, Lightning, Strike (2004) left off, expanding on their complexity while still maintaining the fun feel of the music. You still can't hear the words, except on (thank you!) the bonus disc, which features a remix of "Grip Like a Vice." On the upside, knowing the lyrics to a Go! Team song means you are a die-hard fan.

The Flying Club Cup offers a foil to the candy-coated tracklist of Proof of Youth. Beirut stems from a place in musical genres that revels in playing instruments you’ve never even heard of before: the petromilli, Wurlitzer, flugel horn, bouzouki and more widely known, lesser used accordion and conch shell can all be heard orchestrated on this album. Music is influenced by mastermind Zach Condon's working relationship with Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeremy Barnes. Other familiar sounds include Merritt-esque lamenting and the circus style of some Magnetic Fields productions. When you really listen, some combination of lyrics and expanding and swelling of vocals leave you on the brink of tears the way Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998) might have if you were an emotional teenage girl at the time.

Both are composed, unique and musically talented concepts. One thing becomes perfectly clear: both of these albums operate to one means. Beirut washes over us with forty minutes of sweet sorrow and little celebration. Proof of Youth is a fantastic pick-me-up but blends together as two discs full of positive thinking and catchy tunes. For now, they'll be side by side on the play list to make up in emotional complexity for where the other one lacks.

Originally published in Spare Change News 10/25/07.