Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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43 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Go!, October 6, 2005
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.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but...., August 12, 2006
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.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So come on, everybody, let's rock this break!, October 4, 2005
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.
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An Amazon.com Best of 2005 selection.
~ The Go! Team
~ Jim Noir
~ Built To Spill
~ LCD Soundsystem
~ And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
album Thunder, Lightning, Strike 
