Customer Reviews

Friendship Forever

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This album is good for a genre that is very unique and not widely listened to. There are instances where the vocals and the music sound a little dull and unpolished, but overall it is constantly entertaining. Worht buying if you are looking for something different, and chaotic.

Retard-o-Bot, who have displayed a talent for writing catchy songs since their formation in 2000, have seemed to out done them selves this time. Since their first release, 8-Track, Retard-o-bot has taken electro-punk music to new levels, with their releases Cassette Tape, Scatter Brained and the Rabid EP being huge stepping stones to the top of today's underground music scene. The new album "Friendship Forever" will most likely catapult these Electro-Punk pioneers to new levels.
Recorded at Sean Shannon's The Red Room, Friendship Forever is nothing short of amazing. This album showcases Peter Pepper and Benny Normal's wide range of song writing ability. Ranging from super aggressive Electro-Punk anthems like "Shuffle the Deck" to Mellow Post Industrial lovemaking jams like "I don't know you". The overall theme of this album is more serious then their older efforts, but contains plenty of throwbacks to there past releases, making this a well rounded CD for new and old fans to enjoy.
I highly recommend purchasing this CD.
*****

Retard-O-Bot are not "pioneers of the post-industrial genre". I don't know where the hell Amazon got that from. I've been following these guys since '98 when they were called Retard-O-Bot 2000. Back then it was the current singer, Peter Pepper, current (at the time exclusively live) drummer TJ Brainz, and the other vocalist, Johnny Robot. Their music was basically bad, ridiculous synthesizer music with a drum machine to handle the beats. The songs were basically meant for comedy, like "Chuck Norris", "Jox", "Arsenio Hall", and "Auctioneer". They were hilarious. Their live shows consisted of them starting every show in full, cardboard box robot suits and were generally crazy. Their first two releases, "8-Track" and "Cassette Tape", followed this formula. Their third release, "Scatter-Brained", showed a drastic turn in the band's style. TJ's drumming was added to the music and did a lot for their sound. The tone of the album was much more serious, abrasive, and angry, with Johnny handling most of the vocals with his gruff rapping, Peter's high-pitched vocals and piercing screams backing him up. In my opinion, this was Retard-O-Bot in their prime (also when they dropped the 2000 from their name). After SB, Johnny left the band, uneasy with the direction it was heading, and pursued other projects (Supavyllenz, also hilarious). Peter took charge of the band and has been pushing forward as hard as possible since. Benny Normal joined the band to play live keytar. The "Rabid EP" was released and distributed only at live shows, and after a short break from the extensive touring, "Friendship Forever" was released.

Now that I'm done educating you on this band (which I feel was necessary with the lousy background Amazon gave), FF is definitely solid. I felt that the band lost a lot of luster between SB and Rabid, but FF is a huge step up from the EP. Pete's vocals are great and sometimes hark back to the goofier days of ROB2K. Some songs are really great and stand out: Piggly Wiggly, Something For Nothing, I Don't Think You Really Mean It, All Over. There's a few flops as well. One major complaint about the current sound is the guitar work. It's just very bland a majority of the time; very basic sounding. Complicating the guitar work some would have a great effect on the music, just like when they added TJ's drums back on SB. Overall, this is a step in the right direction for post-SB Retard-O-Bot, but for me, they'll never top their classic days. I'd love to be proved wrong, though.

PS. If you get a chance to see them live, do it. They still put on an awesome show.

I really enjoy this CD, i bought it through amazon a month or so ago kind of on a whim. I was handed a little flyer/card thing at school, it looked interesting , checked them out online, liked, then bought the disk. I can't say I heard anything like it before. They incorporate elements of gritty punk, techno, alternative, industrial, new wave, metal, you get the idea. I'm familiar with the TubRing, MSI, DSA, kind-of bands and I can't help but cringe at how far off the 2 comments below this are.

Retard-o-bot is pretty much what I've been yearning for a long time, a fresh take on the kinds of music i enjoy. I would get another CD from them if it were available. They're coming to TX in a couple weeks and i am going. I highly recommend this CD.

I first discovered an old ROB2K demo back in middle school. It was hilarious, and Ive loved it ever since. But more and more I feel it's style has been fading into medeocrity. The vocals are less out there, the feel is more techno at times (I dont think you really mean it) and even their live show has chilled a bit.

With songs like something for nothing, you can tell the band has really been influenced by their own local scene, and while they still rock, they also have lost their comedic edge.

If you want songs like Norris that you can rock to and laugh at, listen to a band like Tin Soldier Empire. If you want a slightly serious Post-Industrial album that you can still jam out to with the windows down and the volume up, listen to Friendship Forever.

I've been listenin got R-O-B for about 6 months and they have become a favorite band of mine. I agree that Scatter Brained and Rabid were better CD's but this one still is great. There are only a few not-so-good songs on the album such as Derelict,Where Was I?, and I Don't Know You. But other than that this is definatly a great album. Some of the instrumental tracks are pretty good, although quite short. They also need a permanent guitarist. The current, Nik, seems to have little interest in Retard-O-Bot. They are definatly going to make awesome music in the future. Live shows are amazing.

The review below pretty much sums up my opinion as well. Seeing Retard O Bot live was so lame it hurt. Prolly the worst band to come out of the Florida scene next to Deadstar Assembly.

Ok, I'm sorry to crash the party but the truth needs to be told. I had the unfortunate honor of going to school with these guys and I must say that even though they have gotten out of high school, thier fan base hasnt. ROB are basically a bunch of posers trying to be Mindless Self Indulgence and Tub Ring and failing. The music is derivative, trite, and most of all boring. I saw them live once and almost die laughing. Their fanbase is mostly pre-teens(as is MSI's now) and their live atmosphere just reeks. Sure I commend them on trying to keep pushing forward, hell you can see the lead singer passing out flyers at the end of every big show in the Tampa/St. Pete area of Florida. I could best describe the music as annoying electro-nerd rock. It is really as bad as the album cover seems and the band dresses worse than MSI. In fact all I can see from this band these days is that they are a fashion statement, which is not a good reason to keep moving forward. Even MSI are a faded version of themselves these days leaving Retard O Bot nothing to look up to. If you want the best that this supposed "style" has to offer check out Tub Ring. They are a PROFESSIONAL act worth their salt. Retard O Bot? Not worth a dime.

Nuff said.