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