I Have Hands

Bran Flakes (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 24, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Illegal Art
• ASIN: B001PA7OOY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #362,346 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

"The Bran Flakes are my favorite sonic scavengers." -- Irwin Chusid, WFMU

The Bran Flakes are back! Six years since their last full release, Otis Fodder and Mildred Pitt return with the thrillingly fun I Have Hands on Illegal Art. Formed in 1992 amidst tape and zine trading scenes, The Bran Flakes have already put out seven releases of zany mashups and poppy audio collages that are more likely to cop a riff from Evel Knievel than anything on the current radio dial. Call them the cover boys of Cool and Strange Music or simply misfits with giant paper-mâché heads--these boys have amassed a cult following for their childlike concoctions that evoke flashbacks of a sugar-induced high while watching Sesame Street. The new album I Have Hands is 100% samples. No other band dares to invite Lawrence Welk, Mr. Rogers, Van Halen, and Strawberry Shortcake to the same party. One track uses Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" at its center, juxtaposes the familiar guitar pluck from Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," and ends with the Osmonds singing about freedom. While the look and feel is distinct, The Bran Flakes are right at home on the label that has championed Girl Talk, Steinski, and other samplephiliacs.

"Playful and frenzied use of what turns up in thrift store dumpsters. Their dense layering of samples and sounds transcends the standard DJ style." -- Cool and Strange

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quirky and catchy, March 10, 2009

By 

Bart Hubbard (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Have Hands (MP3 Download)

This is a quirky collection of tracks that are full of samples from all sorts of vintage sources. The result is catchy, eclectic, and upbeat. I find it a nice change of pace, and the rhythms created using samples is impressive.

5.0 out of 5 stars An Absolutely Fantastic Album, August 13, 2011

By 

T. Boehnlein (Dayton, Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Have Hands (Audio CD)

This album is weird...and in such a good way. I've probably listened to it in it's entirety 30+ times. I rank Bran Flakes right up there with Girl Talk in terms of technical skill. Some people seem to have issues with the quirkiness of the music but it was my favorite album of 2009. Even for the casual listener, please listen to You Can Do Most Anything at the very least. Suicide has never been more fun!

5.0 out of 5 stars Insanely Catchy Mash-Up Songs, February 13, 2010

By 

Abulia (Pittsburgh) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Have Hands (Audio CD)

One of the best ways to describe this album would be the following: Willy Wonka takes a 100-year-long descent into pop commercial Hell and comes back to record an album about it.

This is a very, very upbeat album that is pretty darn subversive at times. One of my favorite songs on it is "You Can Do Most Anything" which seems to be a happy, sing-song tune about how easy it is to kill yourself. Sung by voices stretched to resemble children singing. It's amazing.

Of course, some songs are better than others on here (I can't stand "Van Pop," for example), but the album still deserves five stars because of how utterly original it is, plus how distinctive. I would never mistake another artist's song for a Bran Flakes song.

Album highlights:

- You Can Do Most Anything

- Stumble Out of Bed

- Marchy March

- Rodeo Butterfly

It's seriously worth a listen, if only for how crazy it is. I usually listen to this album when I clean my apartment. It gets my energy up, if nothing else. :-D