the go! team

Based out of Brighton, UK, The Go! Team sounds astonishingly like their name suggests: loud, energetic and increasingly annoying.

Their newest album, Proof of Youth, stays true to their signature sound-a combination of early hip-hop, indie rock and cheerleader chants with a touch of 70's funk. Featuring Conde do Role's Marina Ribatski, Solex vocals and the Double Dutch Divas, the album also incorporates the Rapper's Delight Club and Public Enemy's Chuck D. Overall, the beats are undeniably strong, due in part to the presence of two drummers in the six-piece co-ed band. Yet, this becomes both a blessing and a curse.

The album starts out ambitiously. The four-minute-long opening track "Grip Like a Vice" certainly sets the standards high with an easily danceable mix of guitar riffs, hand clapping and cymbal crashing. It's catchy without being repetitive, upbeat without being over-the-top.

But then those expectations come crashing down with the band's second track and newest single, "Doing It Right."

The single is disappointing at best and migraine-inducing at worst. The drums, previously energizing, become simply noisy, never really regaining the addictivenesss it possesd in the opening song throughout the rest of the album. The lyrics, which already sounded like a mediocre version of Lady Sovereign, slip into the excessively repetitive chant of "Do it / Do it / Alright." Despair sets in when the strangely muffled, Arcade Fire-like quality of the vocals-a quality no longer welcomed when it's supposed to complement loud, energetic shouts-continues into tracks like "Titanic Vandalism" and "Universal Speech."

Unfortunately, the youthful, energetic tone the album seems to reach for falls away into a noisy mess reminiscent of a certain Clap Your Hands Say Yeah concert last year, minus the wailing lead vocalist. Covering your ears may be excessive, but a bottle of aspirin could come in handy.