The Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts, a review

My experience with the Go! Team has been fleeting - for me they've been a group of what I dub "Oh!" songs, to borrow unnecessary exclamation. Due in part to discovering them as late as last year, their songs' exposure to a variety of popular outlets (adverts, television trailers, use in shows...) has placed them in the bracket of the remembered rather than the discovered.

So it is with some trepidation that I listen to "Rolling Blackouts", though this uncertainty was somewhat quashed by the release of single 'T.O.R.N.A.D.O.'. A brazen assault on the senses, the single begins the album with a series of manic whistles and clattering brass - sampling Antibalas' "Beat Metal" to great effect and with real punch. Their signature childish energy aids to really knock your socks off.
However, the next few tracks prove disappointing by sheer comparison. 'Secretary Song' has a few interesting sounds and comforting tap-your-feet-along abilities, but 'Apollo Throwdown' and 'Ready to Go Steady' sound like pale imitations of the opener, almost having the effect of listening to an inexperienced tribute act impersonating them - stale and repetitive. The same can be said of 'Bust-Out Brigade' with an almost identical brass tune, but progressively improves with some xylophones, sirens and rhythmic percussion that reinstil a sense of party atmosphere.

By comparison, 'Buy Nothing Day' is a refreshing burst of energy. With psychedelic twinges, the track aspires to so much more than they're perhaps capable of - all the while helped along by a tune as infectious as your Friday I'm In Loves or Somedays. This is followed by 'Super Triangle', another glimpse of alternative sounds to their comfort zone - but is more fitting to elevator music or The Sims' soundtrack.
'Voice Yr Choice' carries a level of young innocence and carefree tune that's never been as immediately obvious since Junior Senior's "Move Your Feet". Rapid drums keep up a soaring pace that has almost hallucinogenic effect. 'Yosemite Theme' however seems reminiscent of James Bond themes and carries a mature aesthetic. The chords and keys are much more focussed and soothing, more Leisure Society than Go! Team.

'The Running Range' has a lot rougher sound and it pays off, offering alternative respite to their signature childishness - quite aspiring to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or MGMT influences. 'Lazy Poltergeist' is a surprising inclusion in being as minimalist as it is - an infectious piano interlude that helps to slow down proceedings and demonstrate harmony as effectively as energy.



The titular track, as penultimate show-closer, has a noticeably gritty feel and offers much cooler vocals whilst retaining their knack for a good pop song. 'Back Like 8 Track' closes off the show with a real amalgamation of the themes explored throughout Rolling Blackouts - perhaps lazily throwing too much into one attempt.
Whilst the closer might prove that less is more, the album has certainly proved to me that the Go! Team are much more than a band of a few "Oh!"s - a series of cute, energetic, interesting and sometimes psychedelic songs have proved their credentials.

Rating: 7.5/10
Highlights: Buy Nothing Day, Voice Yr Choice, T.O.R.N.A.D.O., Lazy Poltergeist, The Running Range
Avoid: Apollo Throwdown, Super Triangle, Ready to Go Steady