Flobots are the new Gorillaz. But better.

You ever have those recurring things popping up in your life, screaming, “You need to know about MEEEE! Pay attention to MEEE!”

And you’re all, “Where the H-E-double hockeysticks are my car keys? And who took the last espresso pod? Yargh.” Like a pirate?

And then the recurring thing FINALLY jumps out and bites you in your derriere, and you’re forced to give it it’s due.

That’s me and the Flobots this week. I saw the name on a website about Denver bands making good, then I saw them again on The Agency Group site as I was looking for info about something different. All the while, some little gnome in my head is saying “Flobots. Hmmmm. What are these Flobots?”

Then tonight on the way home from Birthday Party Mayhem and Family Dinner Adventure, I heard the beginning notes of “Handlebars…” glanced at the XM display…FLOBOTS!

Chomp, they got me. J and I were both like “WHOAAAA! Flobots.” This song (Handlebars-below) has such a subtle but heavy underlying groove, a strong structure which supports the simple but powerful lyrics.

So of course we run into the house and watch the video on Youtube…it’s very Gorilla-esque, Anime-style, but there’s an optimism that I’ve always felt lacking in Gorrillaz. Maybe I’m missing something with them.

“Handlebars” does have a certain eerie Post-911 close-apocalyptic thing going on, but also infers that apocalypse is not inevitable. I love the way this video captures the tone of the song…I really don’t want to stop watching it. I am GEEKING on some Flobots tonight.

This is a Denver band, which began as a side project around 2000. After years of doing very well in the Denver scene, they were picked up by The Agency Group for tour stuff, and in March 2007 signed with Universal Music group. For a band with serious indie chops, this was not a lightly made decision.

In band note on their website, they explain, “We take this step forward knowing that the outcome is uncertain. Our goals are ambitious, and success is in no way guaranteed, but a better world is worth fighting for, and the opportunity to fight from an international platform is a challenge for which we are more than ready.” Seriously? I can get behind anybody with that attitude.

Sorry about the French subtitles, embedding’s disabled on major sites. Why, Flobots? LET US PIMP YOU. But I think they add a certain je ne sais quoi, n’est pas? And that is ALL the French I know.

If you dig this, go to Youtube and check it out fullscreen. It’s really quite spectacular.

xoxo, L