Customer Reviews

Survival Story

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

 

 

Last year around this time I ended up stumbling upon this band, trying to find a new metal band to get into. After listening to several bands that sounded almost exactly alike, and feeling bored, I somehow ran into these guys; and it was such a breath of fresh air compared to what I was listening to prior and obviously it was the exact opposite of what I was looking for. Instead of heavy music with some jackass screaming his throat out of commission, I got a fusion of the Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Dave Matthews band, Yellowcard, and two mc's who have quite an original style, and a flow that lives up to the band's name.

Fight with Tools ended up turning into one of my favorite albums that I found last year, and the follow up album to their 2007 major label debut is defiantly an excellent follow up to that album. It takes everything that I loved from that album to the next level. It's heavier, slightly darker in themes but at the same time (and somehow) very upbeat in the music, and musically a lot more technical than the last album. I'm on my sixth listen right as I'm writing this, and I can already say that this album is probably better than the last album, which I honestly wasn't expecting. I didn't think they could beat their last album, but I think they just might have, though it will take many more listens to know for sure.

The album opens right away with a bang with two very heavy tracks with very impressive rapping on "Crack's on the Surface" & "The Effect", then the album slows down a little bit with "Defend Atlantis", a song that reminds me the most of the last album's all around vibe. "If I" then kicks in with some very impressive rhythm on the drums & bass. The song slightly reminds me of Gorillaz for some reason.(?) Defiantly sounds like a great one to sing along with at a show, even with its slower pace. Next comes the heavy hitting "White Flag Warrior", the first single featuring Tim from Rise Against. Hopefully you've heard it by now. The next song, "By the Time You Get This Message..." is one of my personal favorites on this album. The overall sound of it is just really interesting. It starts out with a Flea type bass line with industrial sounds all over the place, with a Tom Morello sounding guitar riff eventually kicking in. Those are just a few samples of what is in this song. It's defiantly a song worth checking out."
Airplane Mode" follows up the previous song. It's a slower & moodier song with great rapping on it; defiantly one of the softest songs on the album. "Whip$ & Chain$" follows with a great beat, great rapping (of course) with a really strong chorus. It's a pretty standard sounding Flobots song to pretty much sum it up. Next comes "Good Solider", another slower song and by far the softest on the album. It's a very beautiful song opening with a great viola intro and beautiful singing from Mackenzie Roberts. "Super Hero" is a very touching song and I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually became a single; another one to defiantly check out. The album picks up again with "Infatuation", a very catchy song with excellent rapping from Johnny & Brer. Matt Morris is great in the song as well, even though I have no idea who he is. "Panacea for the Poison" ends the album. It's defiantly not as good of a closer as "Rise" was, but good none the less.
What you can expect from this album is great music, amazing rapping, powerful lyrics with strong messages and an album that will most likely stick with you for years. To me, it's the perfect follow up to their last album and much better than I could have ever expected it to be. I'm just hoping that it gets the attention that it deserves.
Really the only flaws of this album are a) the album could have had a stronger closing track, like I've already stated and b) it doesn't have the song "Combat" on it... :P
Favorite Songs as of now:
Cracks on the Surface
The Effect
If I
By The Time You Get This Message
Whip$ & Chain$
Superhero
Infatuation
I'm really looking forward to the follow up to this one! If you haven't yet, check this album out, it is worth listening to and adding to your collection. If you haven't heard anything from these guys, defiantly look into them and check out the last record along with J-5's album & their first EP if you can find it.

I am a huge fan of the flobots and their message, i loved Fight With Tools to death, it's absolutley incredible, it's so fresh with that violin and rap beats and the occasional trumpet. The whole sound is just so unique and amazing. This album, is great, for today's music, but it's not as good as their last album. If you're new to The Fobots get their last album first because it's better. Anyway, one of my biggest fears about this album is that they would lose what made them original in the first place. I've seen it happen to a lot of great bands, they release their first hit album, and it's awsome!and they're launched into the mainstream. When their next album comes out, you're all axcited about it, and when you hear it, it sounds like every other band out there. The problem is the record company and whatnot but I won't get into that. But I'm glad to know that The Flobots did not fall to this! this album sounds almost as unique as the last. There's alot of rapping on it though, I would say almost every song. On the last album, their was more diversity.
Anyway my favorite songs include defend atlantis, (the last half of the song is amazing) white flag warrior, (while this song sounds a little too mainstream, i still like it) good soldier, (really like the melody on this one) ad superhero. but i really like all the songs on the album.
umm, anyway i think you should get it!

In an age where jaded ennui-laden lyrics swamp public discourse and narcissistic musicians jostle for the next photo session, The Flobots are such a refreshing alternative. "Survival Story" is more earnest and more autobiographically fragile than the Flobots' last effort, and for that it is more rich, and indeed, even more hopeful. The Flobots remind us that we will be battered by ever-rising tides, but they also encourage us to stand firm and keep on fighting with the tools we have. Every tme I see the Flobots perform live and every time I listen to "Survival Story" I am reminded not to give up. As long as the Flobots keep on hoping, so will I.

Great album. Despite the missing horn section, i.e. their trumpet player, Flobots continues to produce a unique sound that you won't find from any other band. Still very politically charged, if that's your thing. If it's not, just ignore the lyrics and listen to the music; you'll enjoy it.

In case you haven't realized by now, the Flobots don't do this gangster, b*tches, drugs, and money crap that is commonly associated with today's rap and hip-hop. They are serious about their music, and just as serious about their works (see Fight With Tools . org). It definitely shows with Survival Story.

Being a big Flobots fan before Survival Story, I was not sure what to really expect. The first time I listened to Survival Story, my skull was still intact (as in, my mind was not blown). Don't get me wrong, the music is phenomenal -and unique- but I didn't really catch on at first. The second listen (and third, and fourth, so on...) proved much better for me, and I was able to really listen to the lyrics and grasp the messages in each song, which are beautifully written by Jonny 5 and the gang.
So the moral of this review, don't throw this cd away, it really is a keeper. Give it a couple listens and you will see what I mean.

If you listened to Fight With Tools as many times as I did, you will find the musical style very similar in Survival Story, which of course is a good thing. I think there is a little more viola and a little more rapping in this album (compared to FWT), but once again, they are defining features of the album, not degrading features.

Survival Story is a great album, but although I do give it 5 stars, it does not stand up to Fight With Tools (no pun intended, see FWT's playlist). If you have SS but not FWT, definitely go out and get FWT. I don't really know why, but that album is just so powerful and amazing.

When I discovered Flobots via 'Handlebars' a few weeks ago, I was absolutely entranced. I immediately bought Fight With Tools [Explicit], and played it to death. It was one of those rare albums which has mostly strong songs and only a few OK ones.

For me, for my tastes, this balance is reversed on 'Survival Story.' The instrument balance has changed somehow, as has the melodic undercurrent of the songs. In 'Fight With Tools,' each song had something special about it, more than just a bassline. In 'Survival Story' the music blends together more homogenously, but not in a good way. And yet, despite this blenidng, there *is* more variety. The lead singer is changed more frequently, which I can't help but feel actually hurts the quality of the results.

I habitually rate songs I listen to from 1 to 5 stars. After three listens, 'Survival Story' is a solid 3/5 for me. The only real standout for my tastes is 'Airplane Mode,' and perhaps 'By the Time You Get This Message...' Neither approaches my enjoyment of a typical Fight With Tools track, however.

I raved about 'Fight With Tools,' but sadly, the jury is still out on 'Survival Story' as to whether I'll enjoy hearing it in a few more weeks.

If you enjoyed 'Fight With Tools,' make sure you preview and enjoy a few of the tracks for 'Survival Story' before plunking down your hard-earned dollars for it.

When a friend of mine found out that I didn't like rap music, he was convinced he was going to change my mind. So he got me the Flobots' Fight With Tools album, and I have been hooked ever since. It was only recently that I began to wonder if they had another album. So I did some searching and lo! and behold! When I found this album it was only released a month before. So I got it the day before yesterday and I absolutely love it! I was hooked from the very beginning until the very last track. Awesome album. I'll give it a 5 out of 5.

Flobot's debut album could have been the beginning of something awesome, but it turned out to be their best... don't expect the punch the last album had.

A huge fan of their first album, I had huge expectations for this CD. When I got it I realized that it's not as perfect as it's predecessor. Do not be fooled though, Survival Story is not a bad album at all, it actually extends the message that the band tries to portray and everyone that tells you otherwise, just wants to label the band as one hit wonders. By listening to album, I can tell you very I am very happy with the sophomore album.

Johny 5 and Rabbit focused primarily on rapping stories, the main story-telling of using a sinking nation as a metaphor is evident and can be heard fast. This might end sounding awkward at times, by I was more impressed by the message rather than the flow, which is not as impressive or as dynamic as we've heard before in previous projects.

The music is top-notch, they don't stay away from their formula by roots of mixing genres with talented musicianship. I have to say a special shout-out to the Viola player, every time she is heard in this album she shines brighter than the sun.

Best tracks: The Effect(This one is fantastic), If I, White Flag Warrior, By The Time You Get This Message, Airplane Mode, Good Soldier, Infatuation.

Don't be fooled, Survival Story is not a mediocre album, it just falls of short of expectations. The reason why I gave it 4 stars is simply this, I'd rather support this than most of music that is marketed at me, which doesn't compare to the amount of passion and dedication these guys have for spreading their message.

Great album.

For some reason I guess I expected the Flobots to release an album that sounded similar to "Fight With Tools"...which was phenomenal! I was shocked that this album didn't include the same intensity level, heart, or even music style. The music itself sounds more rock n' roll-ish with lots of ordinary guitar, synthesizer and voice effects. The lyrics are sung moreso than rapped or flowed. Also, I didn't feel the intensity of their message. Please do yourself a favor and listen to it before buying it!