The Go
Howl on the Haunted Beat You Ride (Cass)
By Caroline Evans
Published: August 16th, 2007 | 11:02pm
“Vintage” is an overused word in our world of nostalgic pop culture. Stripes and polka dots, which have never really gone out of style, are marketed as vintage fashions. Sparkling pop bands that are at best glorified ‘80s pop cover bands are marketed as having vintage sounds because they say their influences are Iggy Pop, the Kinks, or the Rolling Stones. Yet I detect little to no trace of those influences in bands like the Killers, Jet, and about half a dozen others.
This is why I get so excited about a band like the Go. While some bands like to talk about their influences, the Go actually like to sound like them. On their latest album, they maintain the music hall bravado of the Kinks with a flourish of parlor piano and sweet vocals on “Caroline” (I’m not just saying that because it’s my name — it really is probably the best song on the album). They revisit the Sonics with shout-along choruses and ripping guitar strokes. Their nod at the Beatles is subtle but simple: They begin “You Go Bangin’ On,” the album’s opening track, without an intro, on the chorus. It’s an old device, but I can’t remember the last time a band besides the Beatles actually used it.
You may challenge that this all might actually make the Go a glorified ‘60s cover band, and I have no answer to that except to say that it is much more than that. If you listen to it, you’ll know what I mean. Some bands may talk a big game, but the Go really earns those vintage stripes.
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