The Go! Team

On Saturday night, I went to the Go! Team concert with some friends and had a brilliant time.

Before the show, we encountered lead singer Ninja outside entering the tour bus. I wasn't positive it was her, though, so I did nothing. "If that was her," I said. "I'm going to... do nothing" I ultimately decided. Truthfully, I have nothing especially meaningful to say to her. I just want to ogle, adore, and idolize her.

Once the show began, I danced the entire time. It's nearly impossible to stop yourself from shaking to the music. The crowd apparently agreed: everyone was bouncing along, except for one intoxicated person in front of me who seemed to have trouble standing up.

Describing the sound of the band is kind of hard, since it's nothing like your typical music. According to the band's founder, Ian Parton, the band's sound is a "mix up of all [his] favorite kinds of stuff like noisy Sonic Youth guitar, double dutch chants, Charlie Brown piano, and car chase horns." I also like Wikipedia's description, calling them a "mixture of action theme songs, cheerleader chants, guitars, and early hip hop with a hint of '70s funk.

Check out the Go! Team's latest (totally fun) music video, "Doing It Right" for a taste:

As you can see, there is definitely a "punk cheerleaders on meth" kind of appeal, which I dig. In the past, desperate to compare it to something, I've likened it to something that could be found on Jock Jams in that it is guaranteed to get large groups of people pumped up and on their feet. Unlike Jock Jams, however, it has some musical credibility with its amazing samples, beats, and harmonies. Maybe if all cheerleaders where as genuinely charismatic and fun as Ninja and not so insipidly dull, I wouldn't make fun of cheerleaders so often.

Speaking of Ninja -- SWOON! She is definitely one of the most captivating performers I have ever seen. It's difficult not to be enchanted by her carefree movements on stage. Below, I've posted a live performance of "Titanic Vandalism." Be sure to watch for how she kicks off the song, then, even if you're not digging the sound (admittedly, the Go! Team isn't going to be for everyone), skip to the 2 minute mark and watch her hit new heights of movement mastery during the song's interlude.

My one gripe - if you can call it that - about the band is that I rarely have any idea what the hell they're saying. In that sense, it really is like being a large stadium setting where voices are amplified for the sake of hearing better, but only come out more muffled and muddied than before. That doesn't stop any of us from singing along. I just string together nonsensical syllables that go with the music and beam with joy regardlessly. With that in mind, my favorite Go! Team lyrics is the coherent yet terrificly simple "2, 4, 6, 8, 10" at the end of the song "Bottlerocket." Indeed, it is another cheerleader chant of counting off by twos, but it's inexplicably fun to sing along, too. You can hear the crowd doing the same toward the end of the song:

That clip is also awesome because Ninja takes a break from her own rocking dance moves to mimic the steps of people shaking along in the audience. I love her, love her, love her.

Go! Team!