Thunder, Lightning, Strike - The Go! Team

Very rarely does a band's name give much indication to what kind of music they'll be creating. Fortunately, in the case of The Go! Team, they have it pretty spot on, especially if "The Go! Team" brings to mind a crime fighting force of musicians in colorful street-wear. Actually, they don't fight crime (as far as I know), but they do have a lead singer that goes by the name Ninja, and their music packs enough power to soundtrack a generation of action movies. Surely, a band making this kind of raucous music must be making a bold claim, but what kind of claim is made with schoolyard victory chants and instrumental jams?  Set the opening track, "Panther Dash,"  to soundtrack any seemingly routine moment of daily life, and that claim (at least my version of it) might make itself pretty clear.

If the music of The Go! Team works the way it seems to want to, the unremarkable begins to feel a little more important -- A drive through town feels like an extravagant car chase, a walk to the store feels like a victory march, and getting ready for work or school feels like the precursor to a life-altering encounter. The mundane isn't really mundane, and with drums ablaze and trumpets blaring, The Go! Team sets out to prove it on Thunder, Lightning, Strike.

Since the record's release in 2004, not many bands have brought to light the same perfect blend of silliness and intensity cultivated in Thunder, Lightning, Strike, and even fewer can boast the same instrumental lineup. Banjo, trumpet, guitar, piano, and bass all have their moments in the sun, with many appearing in the same tracks. Ninja provides cheerleader-style chants behind a wall of grooves and melodies. The hard-hitters like "Junior Kickstart" and "The Power is On!" sound like fight scenes, but the slightly toned down "We Just Won't Be Defeated" and "Huddle Formation" feel a bit more sentimental, like a well deserved high-five. Each song evokes a very specific emotion, but each of those emotions could be best punctuated with an exclamation point. 

The sentiments and title of the final track sum up the purpose of Thunder, Lightning, Strike pretty well: Even though you might not be drop kicking evildoers, rescuing children from burning buildings, or manning a battle-ready robot, you still have a lot on your plate. So go out there, face your demons, and don't you dare believe that we aren't all heroes in our own right. Remember: "Everyone's a VIP to Someone."

Watch "Junior Kickstart" and the best Ms. Pacman music video you've ever seen. 

- Kane

PS - Watch the Cowboy Bebop opening with "Panther Dash" as the background music instead of "Tank!" by The Seatbelts. It works hilariously well. Start the video when "Panther Dash" gets to 0:07

Mutual Benefit - Love's Crushing Diamond

At first listen, Mutual Benefit's debut album is reminiscent of fingering through old photographs or watching home videos. There is something inherently nostalgic about the folksy guitar picking and sepia-tone production on each and every song on Love's Crushing Diamond, but Mutual Benefit brings much more than nostalgia to the table. Thanks to the sugary hooks and the warm atmosphere brought to this collection, this album makes for a transcendental take on folk music that just sounds like summertime. This collection of songs swims in thick layers of vocal drones, violins, percussion and guitars, and treads a fine line between syrupy and pleasant, thankfully leaning more toward the latter.

Lyrically, front-man Jordan Lee seems surprisingly purposeful despite his laid-back vocals. "Sometimes my heart and mind conspire/to set everything on fire/just to stop the tyranny/of the minute hand on me," warbles Lee in "Golden Wake," a hopeful tune set to a catchy keyboard hook. Perhaps this song could be viewed as a criticism on the trivialities of human life, but the message is easily missed in the tender lack of urgency in Lee's voice. Don't let the summery sounds fool you, because many of the lyrics illustrate a darker story.

Just about every song on this album has a good hook, however soaked in reverb it may be, and with a small amount of patience -- enough to get through the gentle cacophony of instruments that begin and end these songs -- Love's Crushing Diamond could find a place among records like Helplessness Blues (Fleet Foxes) or Wondrous Bughouse (Youth Lagoon). But though this record could be viewed as a unique take on roots music, it seems much more appropriate -- and maybe even more satisfying -- to just appreciate it as damn good songwriting.

I patiently await the warm days ahead so that the outside world might finally begin to feel as alive and beautiful as this record, and I especially look forward to the day that I can enjoy the two together.

Mutual Benefit - Advanced Falconry (Liiiiiiive)

- Kane