Music, with its broad range of artists and styles, offers something for just about any mood. You have someone like Elliott Smith for times when life feels like too much, The Clash for when the political activist in you needs a few tunes, 2 Live Crew when you just feel like being nasty / getting banned, etc. With Proof of Youth, their debut on the heralded Sub Pop record label, the Go! Team have settled snugly into the musical niche they carved out for themselves with their album Thunder, Lightning, Strike. That is, they have continued to mix overwhelming jubilance with lively beats for those who have been looking for a reason to get up and do the cabbage patch.
Unsure into what sonic territory the group would advance their sound, Proof of Youth gives the distinct feeling the Go! Team decided to tweak their sound and production ever so slightly and remake their first album, which normally might be disastrous but instead proves more enjoyable than one might expect.
The first song, Grip Like a Vice,"" announces itself with a lone, biting guitar line backed by what sounds like a siren warning listeners to beware, because once this record gets kicked off it pulses with full force for the next 37 minutes. However, much of the rest of the 11 tracks are seamlessly interchangeable. The Go! Team essentially take the ""if it ain't broke, don't fix it"" blueprint for making albums and apply it on a micro-stage, altering each song slightly using the same concept of bright, funky horns, resonant melodies and liberal use of handclaps to spawn an energetic cacophony centered by a duo of drummers.
Even the half chanted, half rapped, mostly nonsensical lyrics that might alienate some from the album - unless, of course, you are a MIMS fan - are hard to discern between tracks, with the exception of Chuck D's fitting guest appearance on ""Flashlight Fight."" But again, the overall result is much more rewarding than would normally be conceivable. Each song brings with it just enough personality to momentarily overlook its repetitious nature. The short running time also helps to keep the listener from being inundated with too much of the happy-go-lucky nature of the album that, with an additional 10 minutes or material, would have become nauseating.
The single respite to the din of this groove-fest is ""Patricia's Moving Pictures,"" which acts as a relaxing instrumental coda that seems to be saying: ""That's all folks, hope you enjoyed the show."" Unlike the only other instrumental on the album, ""My World,"" it does not sound completely out of place.
As bubblegum, throwaway dance pop, Proof of Youth is listenable, danceable and above all fun, but as a historical record of the music of this generation, it will not be relevant past the party you are having this Friday.
