Review Summary: Flipsyde manages to make most of the lyrical content meaningful; most of the music much better than the standard genre fare; and the rapping stand out.
I have two big problems with the whole hip/hop genre. I can’t stand the fact that most of their songs are about drugs or alcohol or women. While there may be appeal to some of those things, I don’t understand the idea of listening to other people talk about it in their music. The other problem I have with it is usually the music itself. Most hip/hop songs have one crappy beat throughout the whole thing and while it is good to dance to, it is not something I would choose to listen to in my free time. However, I love the art and skill involved in real rapping. There is talent involved in that.
When I was introduced to Flipsyde by the song Someday I was blown away. I enjoyed the subject matter, the rapping, and then about halfway through I was hit by an acoustic guitar solo. When I heard that, it became apparent to me that I needed to acquire more music by this band. That led me to get this album. I was not disappointed.
The album opens with the track that got me into the band, “Someday”. Again, the combination of good lyrical content, rapping, and acoustic guitar had me sold. Flipsyde doesn’t bring the acoustic guitar in on every song, saving it for certain tracks, which give it a greater impact. It ends the song “US History,” which up until that point was a trudging rap about America and its effect on the world at large. It comes in again later with the song Angel, which has almost a Dave Matthew Band-esque chorus, again serving to enhance the song.
When Flipsyde isn’t using acoustic guitar for emotional impact they are rocking the electric one. The solo at the end of “Revolutionary Beat” that would feel at home in a “Yes” song. The only time the album falters musically is the Urbanix remix of “Someday” featuring Styles P. It falls into the typical hip/hop music style and really loses all that made them different.
This isn’t to say that throughout the album there aren’t hip/hop musical elements. There absolutely are, but it is interspersed with refreshing guitar solos and other musical differences.
All-in-all, this album is a refreshing break from the typical hip/hop I hear on the radio all the time. Flipsyde manages to make most of the lyrical content meaningful; most of the music much better than the standard genre fare; and the rapping stand out. I am not a fan of most hip/hop, but this album is quickly moving to the top of my list.
