Thunder, Lightning, Strike

Originally issued in 2004, the Go! Team's acclaimed debut, THUNDER, LIGHTNING, STRIKE, finally received an official U.S. release in 2005. Upon listening to the first few minutes of the record, it is immediately evident what critics were raving about--the disc often sounds like the work of a less brooding DJ Shadow hooked on sugared cereal and Saturday morning cartoons. However, while Shadow raids vinyl collections for his layered, sample-based songs, England's Go! Team largely creates its own sounds with a six-member line-up and an arsenal of instruments. Driving indie-rock crashes into buoyant pop, which, in turn, bounces off of old-school hip-hop to create a gleefully inventive and diverse album.