Album Review: Welcome to Fat City

Impressions/Thoughts:

Crobot is a newer band from Pottsville, PA whose music has really groovy riffs and lyrics to match. They are known for their very energetic live performances and humorous posts on social media. I found out about Crobot rather randomly since their self-titled EP was featured on iTunes’ Spotlight for new metal music. I took a chance on listening to it and loved their music from the very first song on that EP “Legend of the Spacebourne Killer”. After they issued their 2014 debut album, Something Supernatural, which featured some great songs, I decided that it and was good enough to make it to my number two spot on my list of top albums for 2014. Their next effort, Welcome to Fat City, faced high expectations from their fans.

When Crobot finally released their first single “Not for Sale”, the reaction I had was that the song sounded similar to some of the tunes on their previous album. While having some commonality in the sound of the band from album to album can be a good thing, offering musical differentiation in their songs can make them stand apart in their music genre. Consequently, when their cool title track came out I had much of the same feeling, but it wasn’t until I listened to the third single “Plague of the Mammoths” that my anxiety about whether the rest of the songs would all sound the same was unfounded. Prior to the album being released, Crobot was promoting their new album on social media which started as a humorous ad campaign for the album. One of the campaign approaches was to make funny commentary or anecdotes about the covers or songs while providing snippets of the songs.

For those of you in the know fat city is a nickname for the city of New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA). This album is not about NOLA, it’s about a fictitious planet named Fat City where the singer Brandon Yeagley is running for mayor. You can learn more about the concept behind the title track here.

The Music:

Following the drum fill on the opening song, “Welcome to Fat City”, it segues into a groovy riff, it just releases a sense of grandeur. This transition gets you in the mood and makes you want to move your body to the beat of the song.

Similar to this SNL sketch, I’ve thought about what I would like to hear in Crobot’s music. The answer is ‘I’d like to hear more cowbell’. In the second track, “Play It Cool”, we get that right from the get-go as the cowbell is played along with the beat of the groovy riff. I like the chorus of the song where the vocals have a kind of echo effect.

The next song, “Easy Money”, starts off with the guitar only, but when the bass and drums jump in the tune is really rocking. After about three-quarters of the way into the song, the riff slows down and a harmonica solo is added over the riff which creates a really cool and dynamic sound. The following track, “Not for Sale”, is the fastest song on the album. It starts off with a faster riff then slows down a bit and then returns to the previous fast pace. In the music video for the song, part of the lyrics are misinterpreted from “who paid your debt to be here” to “who paid your dad to be here” which makes for a very humorous video to watch.

Crobot then slows it down with a slightly heavier song, “Hold on for Dear Life”. The song starts out slow and builds up to a faster pace and then transitions to a slower riff with the singer wailing over the melody followed by the riff picking up again to its conclusion. Although this more mellow style is different from what you would expect to hear from Crobot, it gives the ear a break and creates an enjoyable piece to listen to. The next track, “Temple in the Sky”, sounds cool the way the riff plays. As the song continues the riff gets faster until the chorus then returns to the slower pace like in the beginning. The seventh song on this album, “Right Between the Eyes”, starts off with distorted guitar sound which marches into the vocals. The next track, “Blood on the Snow”, has another groovy riff that makes me want to bang my head to the rhythm.

Now we are on the last section of the album. The ninth track, “Steal the Show”, has a return of the harmonica. I can see this song being played live as they ‘steal the show’. The following song, “Moment of Truth”, is a mellower track on the album. I like how the song builds up and then near the end it breaks down with only the slow beat of the bass and drums complimented by guitar bursts that accent the rhythm of the riff. The vocals join in with “Moment of Truth” repeating till the end of the song. The closing track, “Plague of the Mammoths”, has an interesting riff that differentiates it from the rest of the album. It happens to be the heaviest song on the album. It has a great riff and overall sound to close out the album.

Verdict:

Welcome to Fat City is great album for those that like groovier metal. Those that are fans of Crobot will love this album. I greatly enjoyed listening to this album and for me it is a must buy. I recommend you check out this album as well as Crobot’s debut album Something Supernatural.

One last thing, while the album is called Welcome to Fat City, I think it should be renamed Welcome to Groove City, because it’s just a groovy record.

Top 5 Songs:

1) “Not for Sale”

2) “Welcome to Fat City”

3) “Plague of the Mammoths”

4) “Easy Money”

5) “Play It Cool”

Check out the playlist below for the ad campaign for Crobot’s album Welcome to Fat City.

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Leave a comment below for a chance at winning a code for the digital version of this album. Contest deadline ends on Wednesday 10/5 at midnight.