Family Force 5 - Dance or Die

[Blake Solomon]

Family Force 5 – Dance or Die
Record Label: Tooth & Nail Records
Release Date: August 19, 2008

Even though Family Force 5 may be the musical equivalent of mixing Mentos and Coke – lots of build up for something that only ever happens one way – I find myself oddly pleased with Dance or Die. Yes, in this case the album title says it all. There are plenty of inventive beats and, well, blatant references to shakin’ what yo momma gave you (assuming you’re not an orphan!). Soul Glow Activatur still screeches and groans his way through lyrics that aren’t super smart or super dumb. He’s a character leading characters (like Xanadu, who doesn’t even play an instrument) and Dance or Die feels theatrical in it’s over-the-top-ness. But as I said, it’s fulfilling and even a bit more grown up than Business Up Front… I still have to be weary of where and for whom I play FF5; however, I also think more and more people will finally spit out their Haterade and go with the flow.

Dance Or Die spends most of its time blasting out grungy beats and southern rock-amplified guitars. A band dressed in pant suits and stunna shades may seem to have forgotten their Georgian roots, but their down home upbringing continually pops up in the brick-breaking riffs of “Wake The Dead” and “Radiator.” Soul Glow’s grating voice will require some audible training on the listener’s part, but once he clicks, well, he’ll have you eating delicious waffles out of his Hulk-sized hand. Also making a very noteworthy appearance are the (expected) electronic-driven songs. I don’t know if I want to stylishly groove or headbutt something when the warped guitars and zinging synths of “Fever” smash down. “The First Time” and its button-pressing beeps sounds like a b-side from the previous album. Its glorious verse build-up is a welcomed addition to FF5’s formula. The song fights the urge to become too loud while its chorus may help them make the leap to mainstream alt-rock radio.

“How In The World” and “Share It With Me” are both fairly subdued, especially for these guys. 80’s style synth notes weave in and out while Soul Glow drops lyrics (in T-Pain voice, no less) like, “If you were here with me right now / I don’t know what I’d do.” They’ve either written a love song or a creepy worship song. I can never tell. “Share It With Me”’s piano and drum intro is a nice, calm change of pace. This song also features melodic singing and a mission to chill us out rather than jazz us up. Both songs work, if only because they are unexpected. Their placement on the album helps to break up the usual FF5 fare - “Party Foul” is so cluttered I almost had a panic attack, for example. Still, Dance or Die is truly an audience-widening album.

You don’t know it yet, but this is your favorite album of the year. Get over yourself; Iron and Wine stole their lyrics from some dead poet. Brand New sneezed on a napkin and it happened to look like a chord progression (they then recorded “Guernica”). Family Force 5 do furniture commercials, play video games, and occasionally write songs about raves and shit. You can obviously listen to whatever you like, but why wouldn’t you throw this in the rotation every once in a while?


Recommended If You Like: 3OH!3, Alien Ant Farm, Sinestro (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c8/Sinestrosciver.png), Switchfoot meets Tenacious D meets Chromeo, Mephisto (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/66/OMD_Mephisto-Final.PNG)


www.familyforce5.com

[Praetor]

Marry me.

[hockeyguitar99]

I liked the first album but I wasn't really feeling the EP.

[cereal4life]

"Guernica" is a crap song. I can't wait to listen to my favourite album of the year. Going to be awesome!

[The Personist]

"Guernica" is a crap song. I can't wait to listen to my favourite album of the year. Going to be awesome!

"Guernica" is not crap. You fail.

[knowthisx]

"Guernica" is a crap song.

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r270/POScort/Random/EpicFailGuy.gif

[saving jonathan]

That album art is pretty sick though.

[CarouselBoy]

i'm looking forward to checking this out, even though I haven't really been too excited for it or anything

[AdamChildress]

I am not into FF5 at all...Not my thing...

I heard the new songs, as well...I thought I was going to hopefully enjoy them more...

But it just did nothing for me though :/

[superBMRuth]

the last paragraph says it all. lol

[Hockeywall]

I interviewed Chapstique at Toronto warped and he said Radiator is like the "Luv Addict" of DoD.

I'll give it a listen, this stuff is so over the top it's hard to take it seriously though but it's fun to listen to. Saying that I really don't think they take themselves too seriously either[they like to have fun pretty much].

[werealldudes19]

good review
these guys are so fucking fun

[micahistheballs]

I can't believe these guys used to be among my favourite bands 4 years ago haha.

[RiCCioLi]

Im looking forward to this album a lot. The Dance Or Die EP is amazing as is there first full length.
Awesome to see live, if you can get past the fact that they are kinda lame.

[Armor42]

The score is 74 percentage points too high

[Ryzenfall]

The score is 74 percentage points too high

Have you been drinking Haterade, you seem a little impaired.

[Xianmusicfan]

Their first album was a lot of fun, I didn't like what I heard from the EP. I'll wait till I hear the whole album to judge it though

[Kbm600]

Never wanted to listen to them till' now. Now I'm interested. Thanks very much, this was a sweet review. Everything you said was true.

[offsetshakes]

Amazing.
Can't wait untill the album.

[Moira Amiss]

the last paragraph sold me, so i guess i will pick this up come tuesday, haha.

[doyouhas?]

i dont like this band, but i do know one of the members. my old band used to play shows with his old band a lot. my claim to fame!

[johnh5304]

I really can't bring myself to listen to these guys.

[bluecrunchy]

I really can't bring myself to listen to these guys.

Dude, you have an Asia avatar. You should definitely listen to these guys.

[r_r_repeat]

Dude, you have an Asia avatar. You should definitely listen to these guys.

epic win.

[JimmyIymmiJ]

I hate these guys a lot less than I do most bands that sound like them. I'll give it a listen.

[RockVocalPower]

Good review, but I don't really like this album.

meh.

[LongDistanceDrunk]

Great review Drew. I love the line about the Haterade I can't wait to hear this. I love the Dance or Die EP so im sure this will be amazing. I'm sure it will be just as good as Business.

[TBSEmoKid]

I'm thinking about giving this a listen now.Good review.

[Blake Solomon]

Great review Drew. I love the line about the Haterade I can't wait to hear this. I love the Dance or Die EP so im sure this will be amazing. I'm sure it will be just as good as Business.


thanks!

[Dan CiTi]

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r270/POScort/Random/EpicFailGuy.gif
4chan is so xD

[at100xmph]

ohhh hell yeah. love these boys.

[infamous_alias]

Fox Force Five from Pulp Fiction, anyone?

[weworemasks]

thanks!

great work, drew! awesome read.

"Guernica" is a crap song. I can't wait to listen to my favourite album of the year. Going to be awesome!

guernica is one of brand new's best songs. you're out of your fucking mind.

[Gumbyjag]

interesting review.

[Nick Le]

i haven't listened to the new stuff that much yet, but hopefully this will be good...loved the debut

[luvizmuzic]

"Guernica" is a crap song. I can't wait to listen to my favourite album of the year. Going to be awesome!

You think "Guernica" is a crap song. Yet, you love Family Force 5. We are not going to be friends and it's because your musical taste is shit. Any 14-year-old girl can love FF5, because it's catchy, funny and kick ass to dance to. But it takes someone with more than 1/2 a brain to appreciate and love Brand New. I'm sorry no one told this to you sooner.

[SomedayTheFire]

You think "Guernica" is a crap song. Yet, you love Family Force 5. We are not going to be friends and it's because your musical taste is shit. Any 14-year-old girl can love FF5, because it's catchy, funny and kick ass to dance to. But it takes someone with more than 1/2 a brain to appreciate and love Brand New. I'm sorry no one told this to you sooner.
i appreciate Brand New. :) sorry had to say it :P

anyway you sold me im going to listen to this whenever i get the chance :-)

[Co and Ca]

I was curious on how these guys sound. But then I saw the Alien Ant Farm comparision and now the curiosity is gone.

[therookielot]

This album makes me want to dance, and if I don't i'll die

[foreverSWEET]

I'm looking forward to the album very much now. I hope I enjoy it as much as you say!

[jjjkman]

this guys put on one of the most fun shows i've ever seen. deffinately looking forward to this

[cereal4life]

"Guernica" is not crap. You fail.

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r270/POScort/Random/EpicFailGuy.gif

great work, drew! awesome read.



guernica is one of brand new's best songs. you're out of your fucking mind.

Sorry, I should have qualified with that with a "in my humble opinion".

[cereal4life]

You think "Guernica" is a crap song. Yet, you love Family Force 5. We are not going to be friends and it's because your musical taste is shit. Any 14-year-old girl can love FF5, because it's catchy, funny and kick ass to dance to. But it takes someone with more than 1/2 a brain to appreciate and love Brand New. I'm sorry no one told this to you sooner.

Haha I've never listened to a FF5 song in my life! I just said sarcastically that I can't wait to listen to my "favourite album of the year" because Blake said in the review that it would be. I was a bit harsh before when I said "Guernica" is a crap song; lyrically I think it's pretty good but I just don't like the song as a whole. And I do like Brand New. I own all their albums and I saw them just last February. They write some good music and they put on a spot-on live show.

Maybe my taste in music is "shit" but if we were to judge by the same standard, yours is a whole lot worse. Evanescence, Linkin Park, Boys Like Girls? Come on.

[Ryzenfall]

After listening to this, i have to say, i can't bring myself to HATE this. I'm liking it, and occasionally i'll try to hate it a little and it just doesn't work.

The First Time is pretty different from the rest of the album.

[Ryzenfall]

Haha I've never listened to a FF5 song in my life! I just said sarcastically that I can't wait to listen to my "favourite album of the year" because Blake said in the review that it would be. I was a bit harsh before when I said "Guernica" is a crap song; lyrically I think it's pretty good but I just don't like the song as a whole. And I do like Brand New. I own all their albums and I saw them just last February. They write some good music and they put on a spot-on live show.

Maybe my taste in music is "shit" but if we were to judge by the same standard, yours is a whole lot worse. Evanescence, Linkin Park, Boys Like Girls? Come on.

Are we gonna do this again guys.

[weworemasks]

Sorry, I should have qualified with that with a "in my humble opinion".

your humble opinion still sucks, haha.

[cereal4life]

your humble opinion still sucks, haha.

Haha well that's YOUR opinion. And not humble in the least! haha

[irishpunk14]

so stoked for this. good review.

[Gregory Robson]

The last paragraph was solid gold.

[SomedayTheFire]

Haha I've never listened to a FF5 song in my life! I just said sarcastically that I can't wait to listen to my "favourite album of the year" because Blake said in the review that it would be. I was a bit harsh before when I said "Guernica" is a crap song; lyrically I think it's pretty good but I just don't like the song as a whole. And I do like Brand New. I own all their albums and I saw them just last February. They write some good music and they put on a spot-on live show.

Maybe my taste in music is "shit" but if we were to judge by the same standard, yours is a whole lot worse. Evanescence, Linkin Park, Boys Like Girls? Come on.
Win.
Honestly what do you not like about Guernica?
i rather like it well love it :-)

[luvizmuzic]

Haha I've never listened to a FF5 song in my life! I just said sarcastically that I can't wait to listen to my "favourite album of the year" because Blake said in the review that it would be. I was a bit harsh before when I said "Guernica" is a crap song; lyrically I think it's pretty good but I just don't like the song as a whole. And I do like Brand New. I own all their albums and I saw them just last February. They write some good music and they put on a spot-on live show.

Maybe my taste in music is "shit" but if we were to judge by the same standard, yours is a whole lot worse. Evanescence, Linkin Park, Boys Like Girls? Come on.

Yeah. I stand by the first two... but I have no idea where you got Boys Like Girls from. And if it's from my profile, yeah... I haven't updated that since I joined, many moons ago.

As long as you take back the crap remark... I'm good. FF5 isn't for everyone and you should be a little more clear if you're going to be sarcastic. Sarcasm is a tone, not a grammar sequence.

It's all good.

[red8ge]

I got this album yesterday at Warped. It sounds way different then the previous album.

[Kuro-Mizu]

Great review! A lot more objective then I would have been since I am huge fan of family force 5. I think this cd is awesome personally.

[Matthew Tsai]

You think "Guernica" is a crap song. Yet, you love Family Force 5. We are not going to be friends and it's because your musical taste is shit. Any 14-year-old girl can love FF5, because it's catchy, funny and kick ass to dance to. But it takes someone with more than 1/2 a brain to appreciate and love Brand New. I'm sorry no one told this to you sooner.

actually, aside from Brand new's newest record, they're probably easier to get into than FF5. it takes less than 1/2 a brain to like a song like Jude Law (which is xxgenericxx but still good)

haha i just gave the user ratings all 10's to boost the score a little bit. it's not anything gold, but 57% was wayyyy to low for this.

[Jumpoff]

You think "Guernica" is a crap song. Yet, you love Family Force 5. We are not going to be friends and it's because your musical taste is shit. Any 14-year-old girl can love FF5, because it's catchy, funny and kick ass to dance to. But it takes someone with more than 1/2 a brain to appreciate and love Brand New. I'm sorry no one told this to you sooner.

I lol'd. Would read again. :dance:

[LongDistanceDrunk]

After a few listens I love Dance or Die. It not be as silly as Business but it sure is catchier. I miss the siller lyrics about breakdancing, collared greens, and random pop culture references. It is still very good and thankfully doesn't have any blantanly Christain lyrics.

[michaelc5588]

the second half of this cd is fantastic, not crazy about the front stretch

[Zachals]

Get Your Back Off The Wall drives me crazy because the chorus sounds like he's saying "get your back on the wall".

[Supersonic-Gabi]

Love the CD overall, but I really can't stand "Get Your Back Off The Wall"
Soli's vocals are too nasal-y and Phatty's are just aggravating.

First time sounds like their early stuff ( Color of water, Master Of Disguise) and I like it alot.
Party Foul, Rip It Up and Radiator are my favorites.

[TheClockworks]

i understand the whole, assuming your not an orphan joke. But it's not like orphans were just fucking dropped from the sky, they still have a mom, who gave them an ass.


Turrrrrrible joke.

The album art was the best part of this whole album : /

[livingalive626]

good review, good album.

but you said “If you were here with me right now / I don’t know what I’d do.” They’ve either written a love song or a creepy worship song. I can never tell"

im not positive but i thought i remembered it being “If you wereN'T here with me right now / I don’t know what I’d do.” ?

[CougarFan]

I interviewed Chapstique at Toronto warped and he said Radiator is like the "Luv Addict" of DoD.

I'll give it a listen, this stuff is so over the top it's hard to take it seriously though but it's fun to listen to. Saying that I really don't think they take themselves too seriously either[they like to have fun pretty much].
The point of their music is to have fun. They aren't out there trying to win Grammys or whatever kind of validation people need now. That's ridiculous. Music is about fun. And i'm glad that FF5 figured that out.

[SwitchMatt]

That riff on "D-I-E 4 Y-O-U" sounds very familiar.. Bloc party anyone?

[Crunkluvr]

I love this album and finally bought it at their concert. They are an amazing, inspirational band who love to dance and act goofy and they give Christians a really good name. Christians aren't all old fashioned and boring - a lot of them love to party, too!
Their live shows are amazing. Earthquake is their best live song.The majority of the crowd jumps around, moshes, dances, and sings along. It's interactive because Soul Glow points the mic to the crowd for you to sing along. People who don't even know the song still dance because it's so great. Josh's awesome bass tricks, Derek's guitar-flip, and Crouton's breakdown where he dances on his drums are definitely some of the things fans look forward to at their live shows.
These guys obviously aren't afraid to stand out and love their fans a lot. They even recognize a lot of their fans from different shows.

Dance or Die had more of an electronic/techno/dance theme rather than a crunk/southern-style rock sound, but was still a great album. Yeah, it's not as great as their first album, but don't compare them. FF5 is returning to their crunk-classic rock sound (check out Every Night of the Week!) and I'm looking forward to their new album. :)
Awesome review, but How in The World goes "if you WEREN'T here with me right now then i don't know what i'd do." you probably know already but i dont want people thinking bad of them. and orphans have moms, too. xD But seriously, other than that, great, spot-on review. :)