Fight with Tools

Fight with Tools
Studio album by Flobots
Released October 16, 2007 (2007-10-16)
May 20, 2008 (2008-05-20) (re-release)
Recorded 2007 at The Wrecking Room (Boulder)
Brotherhood Studios (Denver)
Genre Alternative rock, alternative hip hop
Length 45:35
Label Universal Republic
Producer Flobots
Flobots chronology
Flobots Present...Platypus
(2005)		 Fight with Tools
(2007)		 Survival Story
(2010)
Singles from Fight with Tools
  1. "Handlebars"
    Released: June 15, 2008
  2. "Rise"
    Released: August 2008

Fight with Tools is the debut album by Flobots originally released in October 2007 and re-released on May 20, 2008. The album was recorded in 2007 around the band's home state of Colorado. Fight with Tools received a mildly positive reception from critics who praised the production and serious subject matter. The album features the single "Handlebars" which became a popular hit on Modern Rock radio the following April, also becoming a popular hit in the UK (#14[1]), New Zealand (#26[2]) and Canada (#63[3]). The album also features the single "Rise" which also became a popular hit on Modern Rock radio after its release. In the week of June 7, 2008, the album jumped on the Billboard 200 chart 168 places and peaked at number 15, selling over 265,000 copies. The album also peaked at number 52 on the UK Albums Chart.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Exclaim!(positive)[5]
RapReviews8/10[6]
Sputnikmusic3.5/5.0[7]

Fight with Tools garnered a mildly positive reception from music critics who praised the production and attention to political topics. Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews praised the album for its use of live instrumentation and the lyrical delivery of both Jonny 5 and Brer Rabbit, concluding with, "The versatility of the Flobots sound makes them very hard to pin down, but it also makes for an entertaining musical journey that doesn't get bogged down by their politics or a preachy didactic presentation."[6] David Jeffries of AllMusic also complimented the band for having the ambition to tackle various political messages while backed with a live orchestra, saying that "Good points are made with skill and fine wordplay, the guitars and drums crunch along driving home the message with head-bobbing grooves, and the album opens up with the marvelous "Handlebars," a carefully crafted, slowly building tale of the ego run wild via some beautiful muted trumpet."[4] James Greene, Jr. of PopMatters criticized the album for failing to recapture what Rage Against the Machine brought before and for being preachy in its political messages, saying that "At the end of the day, Flobots and their sophomore effort can be summed up by the album’s third track, "Same Thing". As the chorus demonstrates, they’re just saying the same things over again, giving us the same revolutionary slogans anti-establishment forces have been shouting in the face of 'The Man' for years: "We want money for healthcare and public welfare / free Mumia and Leonard Peltier!""[8]

Track listing

All tracks written by Flobots. 

No. Title Length
1. "There's a War Going On for Your Mind"   1:22
2. "Mayday!!!"   4:36
3. "Same Thing"   3:29
4. "Stand Up"   4:38
5. "Fight with Tools"   4:51
6. "Handlebars"   3:27
7. "Never Had It"   5:07
8. "Combat"   2:05
9. "The Rhythm Method (Move!)"   3:52
10. "Anne Braden"   4:21
11. "We Are Winning"   3:22
12. "Rise"   4:10

Personnel

Adapted from the Fight with Tools liner notes.[9]

Flobots
  • 0. Brer Rabbit – Vocals
  • 5. Jonny 5 – Vocals
  • 17. Andy Guerrero – Guitar, Vocals
  • 33. Mackenzie Roberts – Viola, Vocals
  • 69. Kenny O. – Drums
  • 101. Jesse Walker – Bass
Additional players
  • Joe Ferrone – Trumpet (Tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7)
  • Mariel Roberts – Cello (Tracks 1, 4, 5, 11, 12)
  • Minnie Baldwin – Vocals (Track 11)
  • Ravi Zupa – Sample (Track 9)
  • Dr. Vincent Harding and the Veterans of Hope Project – Samples (Track 10)
Production
Artwork
  • Jonathan Till – Art and design
  • Matt Walker – Photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2008) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[10] 51
US Billboard 200[11] 15
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[12] 3
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[13] 15
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[14] 8
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[15] 3
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[16] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (2008) Position
US Billboard 200[17] 165
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[18] 97

References

  1. ↑ "The Official UK Singles Chart for the week ending August 16, 2008". ChartsPlus. Milton Keynes: IQ Ware Ltd (364): 1–4.
  2. ↑ "New Zealand Singles Chart". charts.org.nz. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Flobots Album & Chart History – Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Jeffries, David. "Fight with Tools - Flobots". AllMusic. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  5. ↑ Acharya, Neil (August 15, 2008). "Flobots - Fight with Tools". Exclaim!. Ian Danzig. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Juon, Steve 'Flash' (May 13, 2008). "Flobots :: Fight With Tools :: Universal Republic Records". RapReviews. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  7. ↑ Flatley, Ryan (May 27, 2008). "Flobots - Fight with Tools (album review 3)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  8. ↑ Greene, Jr., James (June 10, 2008). "Flobots: Fight With Tools". PopMatters. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  9. ↑ Fight with Tools (booklet). Flobots. Universal Republic. 2008.
  10. ↑ "Flobots | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
  11. ↑ "Flobots – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Flobots. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Flobots – Chart history" Billboard Top Alternative Albums for Flobots. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Digital Albums: Jun 7, 2008". Billboard.biz. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved May 11, 2015. (subscription required (help)).
  14. ↑ "Flobots – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Flobots. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Flobots – Chart history" Billboard Top Rap Albums for Flobots. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Flobots – Chart history" Billboard Top Tastemaker Albums for Flobots. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums - 2008". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2008". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
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