Flobots: Fight With Tools
Flobots want to Fight With Tools on album one
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Thursday, 18, Sep 2008 02:59
Universal/Island, out now.
In a nutshell...
We want change! We want change!
What's it all about?
13 tracks which span a lot of genres, mainly taking the route of talking poetry type rap/hip-hop with a rock twist.
Who's it by?
Flobots, or sometimes known as the Flobots. Consisting of seven members, the leader of whom is MC James Laurie, who is also known as Jonny 5. This is their third album, but by far and away their biggest. They won a contest in Denver to have their single Handlebars on main rotation, and subsequently were signed to Island through Universal in February of this year. Their music is all about social change, and nothing else. It makes for some interesting music and has been very popular in the States, reaching number 15 in the album charts. Not bad for a band's first mainstream album.
As an example...
"I can hand out a million vaccinations/Or let 'em all die in exasperation/Have 'em all healed of their lacerations/Have 'em all killed by assassination/I can make anybody go to prison
Just because I don't like 'em and/I can do anything with no permission/I have it all under my command/I can guide a missile by satellite/And I can hit a target through a telescope/And I can end the planet in a holocaust." - Handlebars
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Interesting question. Handlebars should be a shoo in, but the heavy political edge to it may cancel out its popularity. The Grammys, after all, prefers to reward pop music rather than good music.
What the others say
"When listening to the Flobots debut album, Fight with Tools, there's a feeling that all the destruction and injustice this politically-motivated alt-rap crew speak of has been seen through CNN and YouTube. There's a certain grit missing, a certain soul that comes from living the nightmare and surviving, and whether they've been through it or not, the Flobots just don't display it." - David Jeffries, All Music Guide
"Flobots pack their debut album with wordy messages, protesting against everything from America's foreign policy to its history of racist intolerance. Praise be, however, that they carry it off with such a quirky, sparse musicality (notably in Mackenzie Roberts's haunting viola parts and Joe Ferrone's lonesome trumpet), surpassing the righteous posturing of the PC rap crowd to create an album of surprising poignancy." - Robert Sandall, Times
So is it any good?
Hmm... It's very raw and very edgy and possibly a little away from the mainstream for my likings. What can't be denied is ability. Flobots have as much potential to be a great band as I've heard recently. Musically, they are incredibly gifted - any one track will show you that. The ability to bring trumpet and viola into a mainstream hip-hop track is one even Jay-Z would be proud of.
Equally, the undisputed king of this album is Handlebars. None of the others even come close. It's a Marmite track, which has had a surprisingly large amount of play on Radio 1. What's interesting for me is that it's a Marmite track at all. When viewed at its most basic level, it seems boring in it's simplicity. When taken to the level at which it's intended, however, it's one of the most breathtakingly complex tracks I've listened to this year, starting with the claim that Laurie can ride my bike with no handlebars. Not only does the ability to change the world increase as the track goes on, but so too does the amount of instruments and intricacy of the background track. One by one the instruments are brought in, reaching a colossal crescendo before falling away again as the song reaches the full circle of the bands imagination.
However, away from Handlebars, nothing stands out. The rest is aggressive in its desire to teach us everything that's wrong with the world currently, but I agree very much with David Jeffries - they're well-educated and know what they're talking about, but are lacking that grit that shows that they really understand it. They're writing lyrics about stuff which probably hasn't affected them yet. Perhaps that should be applauded - the key to Obama winning the upcoming election isn't solely winning the white female vote held by Hilary Clinton, but changing the ideas of the youth and getting them up to vote. If this album can get even a small percentage of those listening to stand up and be counted, then no doubt Flobots will be understandably proud.
They're not the new Presidents of the United States of America, as they're far more talented and singing about stuff which wouldn't even cross the minds of those singing about Peaches. What remains to be seen is whether or not the success of Handlebars and the discussion of American politics will translate to the UK audience. My suspicion is the subjects discussed on this album are just a bit too weighty for the popular audience they need to really make it big.
6.5/10
Rob Wheatley