Flobots are one of those bands you really wanna get behind ’cause what they’re doin’ is a little off the beaten path, but you just can’t quite get yourself to commit to the decision. Their angle is to take two politically conscious rappers and pair them with a band heavy on the alt-rock vibe, yet stay clear of Rage Against the Machine-land. The results are mixed, mostly because while the rappers’ skills are fairly strong, they do occasionally come up with some quaint ideas, and their interaction with the band rarely gels enough that the whole thing sounds like a collaborative, cohesive thought. There’s definitely potential to be mined here, but thus far they’ve only managed to dust off the tops of the rocks.
–jimmy (www.flobots.com)