Customer Reviews

Thunder Lightning Strike (Limited Tour Edition)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

Ok, I love this cd to death. It's cool that the US version has "We Just Won't Be Defeated" and "Hold Yr Terror Close," but in all honesty you're better off paying for the import version. As much trouble as their label went through to clear all the samples from the original UK release, they couldn't get them all. And songs like "The Power is On," "Bottle Rocket," and "Huddle Information" really suffer without the female MC samples on the verses. Trust me, buy the import instead. It's pure genius.

Impossible to dislike I say, so don't even try--it can't be done. Thunder, Lighting, Strike is like a beat up 8-track tape from a Billy Jack movie, mixed with The Electric Company, The Mod Squad, Josie and the Pussycats, and the Theme from Rocky. Add a bit hip-hop scratching and cheerleader shouting because... well, who know's why--just because. It's chaotic and fun: a lo-fi AM radio masterpiece. This CD doesn't include one of my favorite songs of theirs "We Listen Every Day," and that's a drag. Nevertheless it is a great CD. The Ladyflash video must be seen to have the full Go! Team experience. It's on their website, an amusing place on its own. See it if you can.

Fan of those old cheesy cop shows from the 70s that had those great horn sections? Then this album's for you. Fan of old school hip-hop? This is for you too. Fan of having a good time? Then this album is especially for you. This album is what the soundtrack of your life would be if it were filled with car chases, drug-busts, and "the man." These things are the essence that is Thunder, Lightning, Strike, the debut album from The Go! Team. Through the course of the baker's dozen tracks that make up Thunder, Lightning, Strike, The Go! Team recreate the drama and non-stop action of their favorite adrenaline-pumping shows from their youth using live horns, guitars, pianos, drums, bass, turntables and a singer that sound like they could have been pulled out of anywhere from Speed Racer to a Sergio Leone western. Every track here scores a direct hit and there isn't a blemish on the entire album, making it almost impossible to play favorites with any given song. A definite contender for album of the year, and deservedly so, Thunder, Lightning, Strike is an album that'll sweep you off your feet and transport you back to the magical world that lived inside your television every Saturday morning of your childhood. [The US version of Thunder, Lightning, Strike includes two bonus tracks "We Just Won't Be Defeated" and "Hold Yr Terror Close," both welcome additions to the album. This version also features revisions in the samples due to copyright issues but thankfully all the songs are still just as amazing as they were originally.]

I've been listening to The Go! Team since I got my hands on an import copy of 'Thunder, Lightning, Strike' last year, and I find them to be a fantastic band that can be enjoyed by almost anyone.

Their tunes are catchy and energetic, quite varied, and make fantastic use of a variety of samples. Their sound is tough to describe; in sampling, they are theoretically similar to The Avalanches, but their sound is unlike any other album I have ever heard. The bulk of the songs are pure exuberance. Just listening to 'Bottle Rocket' or 'Ladyflash' can put you in a good mood, ready for the day. Think of the songs as 'Eye of the Tiger' for the indie set.

The US release includes several tracks not included on the original UK CD. They are a bit weaker than the rest of the album, but are still worth a listen.

Overall, 'Thunder, Lightning, Strike' is definitely worth a purchase by anyone who enjoys unique, energetic music. The only drawbacks to the album are a relatively short playing time and tough-to-understand lyrics (as in, the words themselves are tough to understand, not the meaning of them. there are no lyric inserts and the words cannot be found on the internet). But when you're bopping your head to the music, these flaws are very easy to overlook.

the go! team are so much fun. cheesy daytime television music looped with old-school hip hop and a cheerleader shouting over it. if you deny enjoying this album, you simply have no soul. the go! team stole the show at lollapalooza 2006, had about 50,000 people dancing and singing like no one was watching, and held more energy than any band i've ever seen in my life. the go! team are amazing in every aspect.

It has been some time since I've described an album as fun. Some of the catchiest music mixed with a bit of low-fi recording. The music is kept dirty which becomes its overall attitude. Some songs sound like they were actually recorded at some crazed hip hop pep rally. This is definitely good pick me up music. A brewhaha of different styles that sometimes stick together for no other good reason than they can. Great album. As a side note if they ever come back over to the states to tour, go see them. I saw them earlier this year at SXSW and it was a great show.

This has been a big year for the new dance music. There are people like LCD Soundsystem, M.I.A, and Annie, and others, bringing dance, rock, and new weird music, together for the first time. The Go! Team seem like the most everything and the kitchen sink type band. You hear this on "Ladyflash." It's a little like the Jackson 5 and weird Indian music. It's catchy and pop oriented without seeming cheesy. The Go! Team is a very hiphop musical adventure. "Feelgood By Numbers" sounds like Charlie Brown and the Peanuts doing a Daniel Johnston song. "Get It Together" has a heavy hiphop beat with a cool recorder sounds. On a lot of their songs, it sounds like a soundtrack hiphop spaghetti western. "We Just Won't Be Defeated" is like a cheerleading song. The vocals are screamed. "Junior Kickstart" is more like their Sonic Youth vibe. Yes, this band likes to bridge the gap between music you would never think would go together. There is a lot of excitement on this record. Really it sounds really unique like nothing else ever does. "Huddle Formation" is a great song too. This album just goes on and on with new ideas like no record this year. The Go! Team' Yes, definitely!

3 1/2

Go! brought a youthful, unabashedly cynic-free enthusiasm to the indie scene with their clever usage of cheer vocals wrapped around a highly engaging cocktail of unpretentious, spirited instrumentation. Perhaps the only aspect that brings this consistent charmer down is poor production, translating all this urgent energy with treble-centric distractedness.

I ordered this CD after watching a preview for the upcoming PS3 video game, "LittleBigPlanet". I liked the track 'Get it Together' that was used as the backround music for several trailers, so I wanted to check out more music from the same artist. Overall, I was fairly impressed, they have a unique marching band/jazz/rock sound that I've never really heard before. Overall, the CD is a little too 'peppy' for my tastes, but I did find myself humming the tunes every now and than and popping the CD into the player more often than I thought I would. Would be pretty good as backround party music, or for kids.