Melbourne 5 piece outfit Flow and Plenty are sure to cause a stir with the debut self titled EP. The seven track gem is a contemporary, easy, listening, bluesy, hip hop record, that should please not only the harshest hip hop critic, but also lovers of live music and local bands. MC/Vocalist Noah MC Marley switches effortlessly between soulful vocals and razor sharp rhyme schemes in his raps, to forge a unique sound and identity in the Melbourne scene. The band has a rare cohesiveness that not only sounds great live, but translates perfectly to a record.
This is none more evident that on the EP highlight 'Busker', which looks at both sides of the Melbourne institution of busking. Noah leaves no stone unturned in his analysis of the simple act of putting a dollar in a busker's hat. It's this unravelling of a simple idea, and turning it into a social commentary, as well as a downright catchy song, that makes Flow and Plenty's sound so refreshing. The rest of the EP is just as creative, taking simple themes such as the age-old love song, or an ode to the city, and giving it the F&P treatment. Flow and Plenty are surely an act to look out for over the coming months; catch them live intimate venues around Melbourne while you still can!
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What's going on in Australia? Just last year, Macromantics released one of the more entertaining hip-hop efforts of the year, and now Flow & Plenty are bringing their own mellow, soulful approach out of the country that gave us Yahoo Serious.
That's not fair though, because Flow & Plenty's smooth mixture of hip hop and soul, with dashes of reggae and afro-beat thrown in for good measure, transcends any of the stupid jokes that some reviewers (read: this guy) might be tempted to make about boomerangs, koala bears, Oceanic 815, kangaroos and Foster's beer. Now, having eased you into the review with the classic 'dumb American' routine, let's get to brass tacks.
Flow & Plenty are at their best when the arrangements are open and relaxed, allowing the instruments and vocals to seamlessly play off of each other. Fortunately, this is the case for most of the Flow & Plenty EP, that the group self-released. The EP opens with the playful and funky, "Loving You," which sounds about as smooth as smooth can be. The rhythm section lays down a slick, lite-funk groove, augmented by jazzy electric piano, and the vocals do the rest of the work. The melodic sections, here, slightly outshine the rapping, which doesn't seem to find its feet until the EP's second track, the rich groove, "City Lights." While "Loving You," is a slick and solid album opener, it isn't until "City Lights" that Flow & Plenty really come alive, bringing hints of reggae, afro-beat and more traditional jazz into the arrangements. One of the finest moments on the EP comes right around the 2:40 mark when the arrangement strips down to upright bass, then slowly builds a rich array of horns and percussion before the rhymes kick back in. The song crackles with a subtle and graceful energy that allows the song to flat out kill.
While the rest of the EP--except for the last song, which we'll come back to--doesn't quite live up to the rich, warm sound of the second track, Flow & Plenty still deliver the smooth, soulful grooves that they promised with the EP's first song. "Busker," and "Talk It Over," work fairly well, building on slick rhythm guitar and slippery rhymes, but despite some strong hooks and choruses (and the cool break down in the middle of "Talk it Over"), they don't quite live up to the rest of the disc. In fact, the two songs are separated by the deft, supple touch of "Something Beautiful," which finds the upright bass and subtle horns adding a much welcomed warmth to the track. The interplay between the soulful vocals and the whiskey-warm bass groove is stunning.
And then there's the EP's closer, "Breaking Through Chains." At first, the metaphor might seem a little overbearing and 'high school journal-ish,' but once the song picks up some steam, it provides an ecstatic closing to an all around excellent EP. The closing verses build in energy before ending--allowing the arrangements to chill us out is a nice touch that gives us a glimpse of, not just Flow & Plenty's impressive ear for arrangements, but their penchant for showmanship.
From a reviewer who doesn't typically make time for EP's, this one is definitely worth checking out. The rhymes aren't always smooth, and not every song is as brilliant as the highlights, but the arrangements and overall feel of the EP are, at times, gorgeous and deserving of some serious attention.
Review written on 2008/04/03 by James Brubaker
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