CD REVIEW: Flobots "Survival Story"

Activism and social consciousness have been a part of music for an incredibly long time. In the 60's and 70's you couldn't make a hit record without including your own form of protest in some way. These days those themes are back in our brains and Flobots are delivering some of the best songs that deal with these issues. Making peace is a passion of Flobots, and in their first single off their second album they are looking for that in a big way. "White Flag Warriors" is a call to stop the violence and the fighting and just wage peace. What makes their message so great, however, is the delivery. Rap-rock was a thing of the 90's and it went away, and in no way are Flobots trying to recreate this genre. They are more like The Roots in that they are a live hip hop band, they are just more on the alternative side of things. Their use of unconventional instrumentation (one band member plays viola) and an emphasis on hard hitting guitars makes their sound both familiar and original. Songs like "If I" and "Cracks In The Surface" are surefire hits and portray the bands signature style wonderfully. The bottom line is that Flobots are one of the most interesting bands making music these days, and they follow up their stellar debut album with one that is just as good and inventive.