Reviews
Ya Heard? The Flobots
This weeks edition of Ya Heard? takes a look at an album from a fresh new live hip hop band with a message. The Flobots appeal is two-fold; firstly, theyare a live hip-hop band. Led by two skilled Emcees, Jonny B and Brer Rabbit, the band features live instrumentation not seen often enough in hip-hop these days, including lead violin, guitar, bass, drum and horns in virtually nearly every track. Having recently being introduced to True Live, it was pleasing to find another album utilising a similar sound. The second part of their appeal lies in the way in which the Emcees present the views and beliefs of the group within their music. I’m not usually enthused by the typical politically charged hip-hop that often comes across as preachy, angry or negative; but the Flobots come with an optimistic and often inspiring premise that makes you sit up and listen. Their approach is summed up perfectly with this from their website: “Armed with musicianship, intelligence, and an ingrained sense of rebellion, Flobots are looking to engage a new musical culture, one mind at a time.”
The group has seen recent success with their single “Handlebars”, a track that demonstrates the lyrical complexity and creativity of the group. The song subtly breaks down the competitive natures of man, comparing a child bragging about bike riding abilities to leaders bragging about military capabilities. “Handlebars” , along with other notable tracks, “AnnaeBraden” and the title track “Fight With Tools”, are so thought provoking that you’re bound to question yourself after you hear them. “Anne Braden” contemplates the concept of racism by revisiting the story of a famous fighter for racial equality.
The first musical track of the album, “Mayday!!!”, gives a good indication of whats to come, with a heavy guitar riff and sweet violin chords that are perfectly combined with well-placed trumpet and percussion parts. The tempo of the track rocks back and forth, relying on the guitar for the verses and the violin for the hook, providing the Emcees with a canvas for switching flows and background vocals. “Same Thing” and “Stand Up” follow, and ensure the album holds the listeners attention. With a funky bass line supported by a perfectly placed trumpet, “Same Thing” is a call to revolution. And “Stand Up” is the ideal introduction to the Flobots political and social stance with a powerful hook:
Stand up
We shall not be moved
Except by a child with no socks and shoes
Except by a woman dying from a loss of food
Except for a freedom fighter bleeding on a cross for you
Stand up
We shall not be moved
And we won’t fight a war for a fossil fuel
It’s times like this when you want to plot a coup
Put your hands up and I’ll copy you
These tracks definately show the live potential of their music, as do”Combat” and “The Rhythm Method”; which no doubtedly rock shows on a regular basis. The album also features spoken word, which is used to great effect on the intro, and backed masterfully by the violin on “We Are Winning”, a punchy plea from Jonny 5 and Brer Rabbit for society to become involved and active.
‘Fight With Tools’ is a welcome return to conscientious lyrics, supported with quality instrumentation from a live band. From the thought-provoking tracks to the ones that’ll have you nodding your head, this is an album that not just hip hop fans will enjoy. I’ll sign off for the week with the final lines of spoken word in “We Are Winning”, a nice summation of what you can expect to hear.
There is a war going on for your mind
If you are thinking you are winning
Resistance is victory
Defeat is impossible
Your weapons are already in hand
Reach within you and find the means by which to gain your freedom
Fight with tools
Your fate and that of everyone you know depends on it
For more on the Flobots you can check out:
…Crack
Pataphysics
With few Australian artists entering the scene in underground hip hop as of late (at least of any quality), it’s all good when you happen to come across a group as interesting and talented as Pataphysics. Based in Melbourne, Patrick Marks, a.k.a. Brother Pat, The Brown Militant, Pat Malone is self described as an “Australian/Sri Lankan(Tamil/Singhalese). MC/Trumpet player, rhythmic soundshapa, revolutionary poet, multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, arranger, teacher” – and I’m glad that he has put this together as
it would be hard to describe what you experience when you are lucky enough to stumble across he, and his collective of musicians that are Pataphysics.
Finding a vocalist who can sound this good while delivering his own unique conscious thoughts is rare which was made pretty obvious by the crowds acceptance and involvement in the performance.
All too often when you are lucky enough to find a vocalist compelling, you find the musicians and P.A. aren’t up to the challenge… in this case, the P.A. was the only thing lacking with an incredible group of musicians in support. Pataphysics Avanipaala as a collective, deal with issues from local/international politics, Indigenous resistance, dreaming, eastern philosophy, life, existence and even spirituality, and the live show draws on elements of Sri Lankan Culture that bring a certain energy.
While The group are ever-changing they are currently based around the present line up of Rhymes, Beats, Percussion, Double Bass, Flute, and Guitar (with what I think was an electronic tabla) plus guest vocalists and a host of other friends from the Melbourne music community. The performance is captivating in a way that is not often seen live, on this particular night especially with a puppet show, random soliloquys, and freestyles incorporating all sorts of funky props. Tie these all in together and you have a truly enjoyable evening of awakening music, tie these all in together and you have… Pataphysics
You can check out more of Pataphysics at:
www.myspace.com/brotherpataphysics
be sure to check him out during his residency at ‘The Evelyn’ in Melbourne, Australia in September…
Ya Heard? The Mighty Underdogs
Welcome back y’all to the second installment of Ya Heard? This week we’re going to take a look at a new release that may have slipped under the hip hop radar for you: The Prelude EP from The MIghty Underdogs, a new supergroup consisting of Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), Lateef the Truthspeaker (Latyrx), and Headnodic (bassist/producer Crown City Rockers).
The Prelude EP is a six-song taste of things to come from these guys, and if its anything to go by, their full album (entitled “Dropping Science Fiction”, slated for release in October) will be straight heat. The EP is full of talented features also, with appearances from underground king MF Doom, DJ Shadow, Ladybug Mecca (of Digable Planets and The Dino 5) and Raashan Ahmad (Crown City Rockers).
The chemistry between these three artists is noticable from the first track, “UFC” aka “United Flow Champions”, which features characteristic scratching and samples from DJ Shadow. The banging Hednodic beat and Gab’s tight flow sets the scene for the rest of the album. The EP then blasts into “Gunfight”, where MF Doom emerges from the wilderness to add his trademark style to the infectious Wild West-themed track, which incorporates a catchy guitar loop and a spooky, slow whistling trill (think tumbleweeds and western showdowns). Check out the video for this track below.
Gift of Gab is really on point on this EP, bringing back memories of the “Melodica” and “Blazing Arrow” days, no more obvious than on”Get out of my life” and “Status Symbol”. “Love Life” is a nice slow headnodding beat, featuring a solid showing from Ladybug Mecca.
The EP finishes off in style with “Bring Me Back”; a shout to the old skool, and a true Bay Area beat. In my mind, certainly the best track. Hednodic’s production skills are something to take real notice of, as is the ridiculous verse dropped by Raashan Ahmad. The track just has this funky party vibe that makes you want to listen to it all day.
The new album, “Droppin Science Fiction” (out October 14th), will surely be an anticiated release after this small taster. A full tracklisting, which features additional album guests such as Lyircs Born, Juliam and Damian Marley, Mr Lif and Chali 2na, can be found on the Def Jux website where you can also pre-order and listen to short clips of each track.
Giant Panda – Electric Laser
Nothing on ‘Electric Laser’ quite utilises the raw, heavy bass and dirty drums found on ‘Fly School’ tracks Sho’ Improve and Just Cause, rather GP have added a more zappy electro current without losing the ability to make songs that are instantly appealing and have you nodding your head like nobody’s business. This album also proves they are equally comfortable on subtle, lounging tracks, none better than AIM that showcases Maanumental’s awesome undulating flow and clever rhymes and the laid-back rhythm is continued on Let it Go. Being rather multi-cultural, Giant Panda often like to poke fun at the different stereotypes associated with each of their races. You really must listen to Racist on ‘Fly School’ to fully appreciate new tracks like Precise Calculator which features a pretty cool Chikaramanga rap in Japanese. It’s also nice to get a taste of some dope scratching which I haven’t heard a lot of in other recent releases. Things get a bit more serious on Pop in which Newman expresses his concerns over the prevalence of homophobia in hip hop, and life in general, in particular the issues his dad faced after admitting he was gay later on in life. Predominantly the album stays on the lighter side of life, to the point where tracks like Laser Ray and Do the Robot in Cyberspace could be labelled a little gimmicky. The album even features a smooth song for the ladies in Cinemax.
La Bloquera (Giant Panda+Thes One) – Shine On
‘Fly School Reunion’ is a hard act to follow but GP signal their intent with ‘Electric Laser’ to keep creating music that is fun and reflects their passions and influences from comic books to coffee, graffiti to gadgets. This is best showcased in the ironically titled Same Old Shit, which is anything but. I would liked to have heard a little more grime on this album but you can’t really complain with what else they have provided. Giant Panda have developed their rapping prowess to display a greater range of tempo from their traditional fast-paced blitz to a cruisy lilt and proven they are no shrinking violets. It seems Newman, Maanumental and Chikaramanga have once again produced a truly worthwhile album that is sure never to hibernate in your collection.
You can check out more of Giant Panda at:
Australasia gets a little Tricky
Going to concerts has been an everyday thing for as long as I can remember now, from seeing my mother perform as a child, to the scar punk groups that had me moving my drunken teenage body like never before, and just about everything imaginable between and since. Such a part of my existence concerts have become, that I rarely feel the anticipation prior to seeing an artist or band these days, whatever their stature may be.
English Trip Hop legend Tricky however, was a different story…
Tricky has arrived on Australasian shores to play ‘Splendour In The Grass’ 2008, last night I was lucky enough to be at the Prince of Wales in St Kilda, Melbourne to see him… or so I thought.
Tricky feat. Ed Kowalczyk of US band Live and Hawkman
Evolution Revolution Love
Catapulting to fame as a recurring member of Massive Attack, Tricky decided to go it alone in 1993 with his recognition and fame only growing as a solo artist. Due to his countless collaborations, remixes, and fellow artists sampling him, (as well as having a mother who was infatuated with the Rebirth of cool mix-tapes during my pre-pubescent years), going to see Tricky was a well overdue and pretty exciting night for me. Unfortunately, the night was not as enjoyable as I had hoped it to be.
Playing an inspiring, tight collection of his new and old pieces, encompassing his infamous mash up of trip-hop, rock, hip hop, and assorted genres, the concert was more suited to a theater performance with seating and red wine as opposed to the sold out, sardine can room full of tall people and bright lights. Special thanks goes out to Tricky on the last point, stopping mid intro to adjust the mood by casually requesting “Stop! Stop! Stop!, tun the fucken’ lights down man, ’cause that’s just how we do this”.
His random yet gripping lyricism, in combination with his unusual, intriguing character allow his stage presence to compliment the brilliance of his music, performance, arrangement, and production.
If you have already bought tickets, or are considering it… DO IT! I’m just saying if you get the option to see him in your local jazz club, or maybe living room, then go with that.
A true artist.
you can check out more of Tricky at:
or see him at Splendour in the Grass
… bs
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