The Flobots are in their own category of music. With a vocal and style similar to Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and John McCrea of Cake, the Flobots incorporate a political rap into a rock arena. The band members have alter egos that are number based, similar to Slpknot. The band consists of vocalist Jamie Laurie (05), vocalist Brer Rabbit (0), guitarist Andy Guerrero (17), violist Mackenzie Roberts (33), bassist Jesse Walker (101), and drummer Kenny Ortiz (69).
Their first major release was Fight With Tools in 2007. This album is very political and is very direct with their lyrics. The opening track is a great introduction to the overall theme of their lyrics. Both the government and big business is after our mind. We are all mere puppets and guinea pigs in their giant mousetrap. This album was so unique and I loved the rap-rock combo, along with the message and violist. My favorite tracks are Stand Up and Handlebars. Stand Up is very direct with its political message, while Handlebars uses several analogies to show just how easy it is for ‘the man’ to manipulate our minds.
Their second release was Survival Story in March of 2010. This album is still political, but not as much in your face. The appeal to me in this album is the improved production and instrumentation. The violin is featured in every single song and the riffs got a lot heavier. While their lyrics are a downgrade, I felt the tracks themselves were a nice improvement and showed a lot of growth from Fight With Tools. There are a few guest vocalists in this album including our very own Tim Mcllrath from Rise Against and some guy named Matt Morris.
Due to the blend of a lot of different sounds, I felt there was a good chance that each of you could find a track or an attribute of this band that you may come to enjoy.
Suggested Listening:
Fight With Tools (2007)
Survival Story (2010)
I started my journey with the Flobots on their newest release, so I will be doing this week a little backwards.
ReplyDeleteAs “Cracks in the Service” begins I am already getting a Beastie Boys/Rage Against the Machine vibe. While I don’t listen to either of these bands on a regular basis I actually have grown to like them via Thomas. It isn’t until “The Effect” that I notice the awesome Violinist, and love the vibe it gives to the song. While it is hard for me to follow the rapping it is all about the atmosphere the song gives off to me that makes the song so enjoyable. I have to admit that I have a hard time understanding what they are talking about, but I think that goes for most rap songs. “Defend Atlantis” is the first song I am able to interpret and can definitely see the warnings of global warming written all over the song. I like this song as well and once again think the violin, while just having small riffs here and there adds a lot to the song. “If I” is a very good song, I really like the message that so much of who we are today is based on all the experiences we have growing up. Even the bad things that happen have a purpose for who we turn out to be and I can definitely identify with this song. “By the time you get this message” reminds me a lot of Rage, and I really like the tempo and rocking out vibe the song has. “Airplane Mode” has great rapping to it, while I am not the best judge of rapping in general this song seems to really showcase the great ease at which the words flow. “Good Soldier” reminds me of a Dave Matthews Band song; it is so unlike anything else on the album except for the rapping aspect. While I usually like more mellow music I think I prefer Flobots sticking to a more hard/edgier sound. “Infatuation” was the other standout song on the album for me. In all actuality I am quite surprised at how much I enjoyed this album, I think it is a unique sound and that the violin adds so much sophistication to the songs that it can appeal to a crowd that may otherwise look over a rock/rap album.
Thomas is playing with fire this week, because hip hop music is in my wheel-house and I can be extremely critical of it. I’ve heard “Handlebars” once when Andrew played it for me and I wasn’t impressed; with that being said, I am not holding one song against them and look forward to my listening.
ReplyDeleteI respect the spoken-word opening track, as this group wants you take them seriously and not as a superfluous pop amalgamation. Much can be said for the live band approach with supplying the beat and not just a generic beat with guitars thrown in (ahem Lil Wayne, what were you thinking with Rebirth?!). This kind of music has been stagnating in St. Louis for over a decade, with groups like: Midwest Avengers (who’ve gotten progressively harder), Earthworms, and most of the acts associated with the Frozen Food Section. By “this music” I mean alternative hip hop that incorporates live instrumentation and multiple MC’s. David referenced 2 Skinnee J’s the other night as a comparison and he’s pretty spot on, as the J’s were a fun group that we loved to play on WLCA but really lacked an identity or commercial appeal. The thing that makes the Flobots stand out against all of those comparisons is their message. The message is not the problem, it’s the way it’s delivered and whose delivering it that turns me off. In the arena of MC’s the great ones command the mic and demand your attention (i.e.- Scarface, Notorious BIG, Black Thought) they have a charisma and a conviction that pours through your speakers. Jonny 5 over enunciates at times which makes his flow sound ridiculous, not saying he should be slurring his words but it’s too tame when your speaking on starvation and political corruptness. Also, I enjoy the violin and the band, but for the message they are delivering it feels extremely underwhelming and takes much of the punch away from their lyrics. I did get the feel of listening to a live concert while listening to Fight With Tools as there is a jammy, Funkadelic vibe especially on the breakdown of “Never Had It” that carries into “Combat”. In a time where Top 40 and hip hop/ r&b radio stations are littered with degrading and ignorant content it is good to know a band like Flobots, who is not for me, but obviously has a fanbase can deliver positivity and awareness.
Survival Story starts off where they should have been all along; “Cracks In The Surface” is a thumping, electric smack that compliments the lyrics perfectly. The production is noticeably improved on this album and the sound in much fuller. Despite the weak chorus, “If I” is a well crafted and thought provoking track about the way I’m sure most of us ponder how life would have played out if certain situations would have taken alternate routes. Tim from Rise Against is great on the hook for “White Flag Warrior”, which reminds me that I need to check them out when they play Bonnaroo next month. Brer Rabbit shamelessly rips-off Jurassic 5’s Chali-2-na’s flow on the beginning “Whip$ and Chain$”. Survival Story plays out as the more well-formed extension of Fight With Tools. I’ve been pretty critical this week, but I do see the value that Flobot’s possess and do appreciate anybody who is putting music out there with a message and not just something with a beat to sell ringtones.
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ReplyDeleteFlobots to me sound like a mixture of 2 Skinnee J's and Yellowcard, with the political messages of Rise Against and other punk bands thrown in for good measure. Not being a fan at all of the first 2 bands mentioned, the message that Flobots are trying to deliver was diluted in my mind by the manner in which this message was delivered. There are a lot of guys out there trying to rap with a message, and Jonny 5 and Brer Rabbit do very little to separate themselves from this mass. At the same time, however, at different points throughout these albums, the instrumentation hits a sweet spot that gave me the faintest of hopes that these guys could have something pretty good up there sleeves in the future.
ReplyDeleteAfter the spoken-word intro to 'Fight With Tools' which I fairly enjoyed, the problem with the band starts immediately on "Mayday!!!". I really just can't get into the over-enunciating style that Jonny 5 insists on using, and it makes it hard for me to take the serious themes that he's discussing as seriously as they should be. He really just sounds like I would expect myself to sound if I tried to rap....which isn't good. On top of that, this song is just so all over the place that the couple of moments that have a nice vibe to them are gone within seconds. It's obvious why "Handlebars" was the single off of this album, as it definitely does contain the most pop-friendly flow of any of these tracks, but the message it seems to send of dislike for anyone that has the ability to do something of importance is kind of ignorant, in my opinion, and while I'm most definitely no Bush-apologist, the requisite shots at the former president were so ubiquitous at that point that it was really played out. One of the many reasons that I'm glad he's no longer president is that I no longer have to hear new music that says the exact same things as the other new music that's coming out. "Never Had It" is a very good song though, on the other hand. It's got a really funky vibe to it, and I love the horns and the vocals remind me a tiny bit of TV on the Radio.....this was definitely my favorite song of the week. "Combat" sounds to me like it should have been recorded in 1997, with it's Flea/P-Nut style bass playing, and the white guy rapping....I haven't heard anything like this in a long time. "Anne Braden" tells a very good story about a subject that should have more stories told about her, and if you dismiss the female vocal break within the song that totally detracts from the energy of the song, the song works pretty well. The second half of the album is better than the first half, and the album closes out with my 2nd favorite song of the week, "Rise". The violin and the drums on the song are very good, and I enjoy the group vocals. It was a good way to close out the album, and left a better taste in my mouth for the whole album than there would have been if the track had been a failure.
'Fight With Tools' Album Rating: 36%
Right from the start, 'Survival Story' is a much heavier affair than it's predecessor. The guitars have more of a crunch to them than any song on 'Fight With Tools'. I get more of the Linkin Park comparisons on "Cracks In the Surface", although the violins obviously give Flobots a totally different feel. The album seems to be less politically influenced than the first, so to me it loses the value that the first album had with it's message, and really just becomes an average white guy rapping over guitars, drums and violins....which really is pretty generic. "If I" would be a pretty decent song if only not for the terrible chorus, so it lost a lot of the points it would have scored with me otherwise. "White Flag Warrior" is good only because of Tim from Rise Against (I've listened to them a little more after their week, and I have to say that they've grown on me a little more, so that really turned out to be a good pick by Thomas), and he was enough to carry me through the song pretty well. "Airplane Mode" has a pretty good violin section, and the chorus is decent, making it one of the better songs on the album. "Good Soldier", strangely enough, reminds me of a Dave Matthews song (obviously not because of the vocals), but the stop and start of the drums and the violin playing are very reminiscent of Dave. "Superhero" shows that Flobots are well-rounded revolutionaries, telling of the plight of both a lesbian couple and a couple in Gaza attempting to have a child. Panacea, which is in the title of the final song on the record, is a word that ALL of these kinds of groups seem to love to use....there's really nothing else for me to add about it, I just think it's funny how this word seems to show up all over. This album, unlike the first, closes out with a whimper instead of a bang....and it just doesn't work very well for me.
ReplyDelete'Survival Story' Album Rating: 25%
Altogether, I appreciate the message these guys bring, but the method of conveying this message just isn't for me. I still like that the pick brought a little bit of variation into our musical palate, and once again, I'm glad that politically oriented music still has a place within American culture.
It's funny that both Beth and I picked up on the Dave Matthews vibe on "Good Soldier".....I hadn't read her review yet, and it's good to see us referencing other Music Togetherness picks when describing how a song sounds. That shows that this is working.
ReplyDeleteThis guy's voice is not made for rapping. No matter the message, his voice puts me off. I just can't take it seriously. Don't take too much offense on this one, Thomas. I already don't really like hip hop/rap, no matter who it is.
ReplyDeleteOn "Same Thing," the chorus seems really corny. The violin is interesting for me, but makes these tracks seem kind of all over the place. Between a white dude with no flow trying to rap to Linkin Park type rock sounds, top 40 beats and the violin, its easy to get confused, and I'm not so sure it all fits together nicely in this scenario.
I guess I can see why "Handlebars" was the single. If anything on this album sounds like Eminem (the only white rapper outside the Beastie Boys) who's done anything worth a crap as far as I can see, this is it. That being said, I'm still not a fan.
The beatboxing on "Combat" is interesting. You can't say these guys are boring at least.
This album just isn't for me at all. Then again, some of the albums Justin and David think are revolutionary, I don't get either, so make of that what you will.
"Survival Story" is much harder than the previous album, and still not at all my thing - but I will say I think it masks the sound of his voice so it doesn't sounds as cheesy. "Defend Atlantis" contains what I think is a much more efficient use of the violin than we heard on the first album, and I can appreciate that. "Airplane Mode," not so much.
ReplyDeleteI can see this appealing to the whole 105.7 Linkin Park - Rage Against the Machine type fan. It seems less all over the place, but still not doing much for me.
I like that "Good Soldier" was different, softer for a change of pace on this album. "Superhero" sounds like something off the first album.
I guess overall, I didn't enjoy this week too well. It was something I never would have listened to on my own so that was new. I guess I really just don't get who their typical fan base is supposed to be. At first I thought Eminem type fans. Then I thought Linkin Park. And now I'm just confused. Sorry for being so critical this week! Please don't take it personally. I don't know what else to say.
Ouch, rough week. I am not a big rap fan primarily due to the lack of content, the under enunciation, and the made up words. To listen to something that deviated from all things I dislike about typical rap was refreshing for me. I can see how this would not come across well to fans of today's rap scene. As with the previously mentioned Yellowcard, I really felt the violin helped stand Flobots apart. Thank you for your reviews and comments. If you thought this week was bad, just wait til Panic! at the Disco...:)
ReplyDelete“Fight With Tools” starts off on a good note with “Mayday.” I once again love the violin in the song and think it adds intensity to the song. “Sameday” reminds me of a mix of Sublime and Cake. Not sure exactly why, but they were the two bands that came to mind when I first started listening to the song. I have to say that I kind of wish I had done the albums in order this week, because for me this first album is hard for me to review. It is like taking a step backwards for me but I am trying to stay impartial about this album. I am on “Handlebars” and remember hearing this song in the car riding along with Thomas. I like the build up in the song that leads to the powerful conclusion, however this is not one of my favorite songs of the group. What can I say I am a sucker for that violin, and while this song does incorporate it, it just did not strike a nerve with me. I liked the funky vibe that the song “Combat” gave off. The rest of the album was just alright for me. I have to say that I really enjoyed the first album but had a really hard time getting through this one. Overall I think this was a very different pick for the blog, and am quite surprised I liked the first album as much as I did. This is one more group that Thomas and I can listen to jointly in harmony!
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