The Go! Team: Rolling Blackouts Review

Artist: The Go! Team
Album: Rolling Blackouts
Label: Memphis Industries UK

Brighton sextet The Go! Team’s appropriately titled debut album, Thunder, Lighting, Strike literally burst on to the scene in 2004. Since then, lead man Ian Parton has put the Team to good use – Proof of Youth in 2007 and now Rolling Blackouts to start 2011 off right.

To say The Go! Team brings the same energy to the table with their new record is an understatement. With an arsenal of samples, beats, and chants at their fingertips, The Go! Team overdub layer after layer, almost to the point of absurd. The group’s designated MC, Ninja, wails over a full horn section, making the sheer amount of noise almost unbearable.

But it works. Rolling Blackouts, like previous Go! Team releases walks the fine line between overwhelming energy and undeniable fun. The opening track, “T.O.R.N.A.D.O.” emits a blast of energy from your speakers, announcing the group’s arrival. Rare moments of solace seem to exist for the sole purpose of heightening your senses, only to be tested against waves of sound. Listen to “Lazy Poltergeist” lead right into the title track “Rolling Blackouts,” and you will hear exactly what I’m talking about.

Guest appearances from Bethany Cosentino (Best Coast), Dominique Young Unique, and Satomi Matsuzaki (Deerhoof), make Rolling Blackouts a true 2011 staple.

Though rumors about Rolling Blackouts being the last Go! Team album have been discussed and debated online, one thing is clear. Rolling Blackouts is an exciting addition to the band’s discography, whether it is a loud and triumphant last scream from The Go! Team or not.

Rating: blank star The Go! Team: Rolling Blackouts Review