History Music / Flobots

Also, they have a {{webcomic}} on their [[http://flobots.net/ site]], entitled ''Rise of the Flobots: Architects of Change''. It is created by member D.J. Coffman (13) and features stories based on the fans and their music with a [[AlternateUniverse scifi twist]].

* RefrainFromAssuming: "Handlebars" isn't called "I Can Ride My Bike with No Handlebars" or even just "No Handlebars" though the latter ''is'' the title of a Creator/LoganPaul song interpolating it.

* BadFuture: The prediction of several of their songs if humanity doesn't get their shit together and do something. The comic also has a bad future where there was at some point a second Civil War, the environment is so degraded that the sky is perpetually smog filled and a weird green color, and the United States of America is lead by a quite oppressive government that isn't opposed to hiring [[PsychoForHire mercenaries]] to take care of insurgents.

* TakeThat: After Creator/LoganPaul interpolated "Handlebars" in a since-deleted song called "No Handlebars", Flobots bit back with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t0LX_Of33U a diss track]].

* AnAesop: Wouldn't be one of their songs without one or four.
** GreenAesop: "Airplane Mode", "Cracks in the Surface", and "Defend Atlantis" from ''Survival Story'' are good examples.
* {{Animal Motif|s}}:
** The platypus shows up often in their songs. They even named an EP after it.
** [[YouDirtyRat Rats]] show up a few times as well. Sometimes in a neutral light and sometimes negatively.
** [[CirclingVultures Vultures]] show up a few times as well.
* ApocalypseWow: "Defend Atlantis". By waves and water, not to mention an invasion by starfish.

* [[ScyllaAndCharybdis Between A Rock And A Hard Place]]: "The Rose and The Thristle".
* BoastfulRap:
** "Handlebars" is a deconstruction of this trope. It's about how the narrator can do anything, building up from riding his bike with no handlebars through various political and scientific actions up to ending the planet. It starts out silly, but by the end it's downright ''terrifying.''
** "The Effect" plays it straighter: "It's the F-L-O-B-O-T-S/ What did you expect?/ You wanted us to move you from right to left..."
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: In the comic [[spoiler: Flobot #69]] works for [[PsychoForHire Lt. Farrior]]. There are hints that he was reprogramed.

** Stated earlier D.J. Coffman is 13.
* CerebusSyndrome: "Handlebars" does this. At the beginning, it's like listening to some kid talking about what they did over summer break. By the end, we're listening to the rantings of a megalomaniac whose grasp on reality may or may not be slipping, and who may or may not be considering ending all life on Earth. The video only reinforces this.

* DownerEnding: The end of the music video for "Handlebars". Also a prediction from some of their songs if we can't get our shit together in time.
* {{Fembot}}: In the main comic story one of the Flobots in the flashbacks is female and probably #33.

* LaResistance: In the comic the Flobots and the people at Camp Vulture are this. In the majority of their songs they urge the people to wake up and become pacifist gorillas to fight back against a destructive society and media mind control.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Jonny 5's real name is Jamie Laurie and the other MC Stephen Brackett is also known as Brer Rabbit.
* OriginsEpisode: "If I" is mostly this.

* ShoutOut:
** In any song you may have references to current events, politics, pop culture, historical events, religion, and other music.
** The end of the music video for "The Circle in the Square" looks sort of like the Hindu holiday Holi.
* TakeThat:
** "The Effect" gives a brief one to the band 3Oh!3.
** After Creator/LoganPaul interpolated "Handlebars" in a since-deleted song called "No Handlebars", Flobots bit back with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t0LX_Of33U a diss track]].

* ''Flobots Present:...Platypus'' (2005)

** GreenAesop: Airplane Mode, Cracks in the Surface, and Defend Atlantis from Survival Story are good examples.

** The platypus shows up often in their songs. They even named an album after it.

* ApocalypseWow: Defend Atlantis. By waves and water, not to mention an invasion by starfish.
* BadFuture: The prediction of several of their songs if humanity doesn't get their shit together and do something. The comic also have a bad future where there was at some point a second civil war, the environment is so degraded that the sky is perpetually smog filled and a weird green color, and the United States of America is lead by a quite oppressive government that isn't opposed to hiring [[PsychoForHire mercenaries]] to take care of insurgents.
* [[ScyllaAndCharybdis Between A Rock And A Hard Place]]: the song The Rose and The Thristle.

** Handlebars is about how the narrator can do anything, building up from riding his bike with no handlebars through various political and scientific actions up to ending the planet. It's a subversion of this trope though - it starts out silly, but by the end it's downright ''terrifying.''
** The Effect plays it straighter: "It's the F-L-O-B-O-T-S/ What did you expect?/ You wanted us to move you from right to left..."

* CerebusSyndrome: The song Handlebars does this. At the beginning, it's like listening to some kid talking about what they did over Summer Break. By the end, we're listening to the rantings of a megalomaniac whose grasp on reality may or may not be slipping, and who may or may not be considering ending all life on Earth. The video only reinforces this.

* DownerEnding: The end of the music video for Handlebars. Also a prediction from some of their songs if we can't get our shit together in time.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: The main character from the song Handlebars goes from being able to ride his bike [[TitleDrop with no handlebars]] to a CorruptCorporateExecutive then to an oppressive dictator who can "end the planet in a holocaust!/ in a holocaust!/ in a HOLOCAUST!!". [[IronicEcho Also, he can ride his bike with no handlebars.]]
* LaResistance: In the comic the Flobots and the people at Camp Vulture are this. In the majority of their songs they urge the people to wake up and become pacifist gorillas to fight back against destructive society and media mind control.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In the music video for Handlebars at the end [[spoiler: there is a riot led by the main character's brother who gets shot when the police put down the riot along with several other rioters]] the look on the main character's face says it all.

* OriginsEpisode: The song, If I, was mostly this.
* PrecisionFStrike: Towards the beginning of ''Stop the Apocalypse:''

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: In response to Logan Paul`s ``No Handlebars``. Doubles as a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}}.
* RidiculouslyHumanRobots: In the comics the Flobots are [[AdaptationalBadass freedom fighting robots]] originally created to help put an end to the second American Civil War and bring back peace and prosparity. Came in two models the diplomats and defenders to protect the diplomats. The defenders also double as potential {{killer robot}}s if they have to, but both models prefer to settle things peacefully. Also count as RobotMe since the main comic Flobots are also the band members and the comic creator.

** The end of the music video for the song Circle in the Square looks sort of like Hindu holiday, Holi.

** The Effect gives a brief one the the band 3Oh!3.
** After Logan Paul parodied "Handlebars" in a since-deleted video called "No Handlebars", Flobots bit back with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t0LX_Of33U a diss track]].

* TookALevelInBadass: In the comic according to the [[{{Exposition}} data logs]] on the origin of Camp Vulture and the Flobots themselves, Flobot #13 used to be a diplomat model.
* ThirteenIsUnlucky: In the comic poor Flobot #13 goes on [[spoiler: an effective suicide mission to retrieve vital information and send it back the good guy's in the [[ElaborateUndergroundBase Vulture]] and got blown up in the process. Later he gets what is effectively his mind/soul stolen by the PsychoForHire]].

* ''Flobots Present:...Platypus'' (2005-2006)
* ''Fight With Tools'' (2007-2008)
* ''Survival Story'' (2009-2010)
* ''The Circle In The Square'' (2011-2016)
* ''Noenemies'' (2017-Present)

* AnimalMotif:

* BetweenARockAndAHardPlace: the song The Rose and The Thristle.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Most of their songs.

* BoastfulRap: Handlebars is about how the narrator can do anything, building up from riding his bike with no handlebars through various political and scientific actions up to ending the planet. It's a subversion of this trope though - it starts out silly, but by the end it's downright ''terrifying.''

* RidiculouslyHumanRobots: In the comics the Flobots are [[AdaptationalBadass freedom fighting robots]] originally created to help put an end to the second American Civil War and bring back peace and prosparity. Came in two models the diplomats and defenders to protect the diplomats. The defenders also double as potential {{killer robot}}s if they have to, but both models prefer to settle things peacefully.
** Also count as RobotMe since the main comic Flobots are also the band members and the comic creator.
* ShoutOut: In any song you may have references to current events, politics, pop culture, historical events, religion, and other music.

* TakeThat: The Effect gives a brief one the the band 3Oh!3.

** The [[EverythingsBetterWithPlatypi platypus]] shows up often in their songs. They even named an album after it.

* {{Aesop}}:Wouldn't be one of their songs without one or four.
** GreenAesop: Airplane Mode, Cracks in the Surface, and Defend Atlantis from Survival Story are good examples.
* ApocalypseWow: Defend Atlantis. By waves and water, not to mention an invasion by starfish.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: Most of their songs.
* CreatorCameo: The comic creator's [[CodeName code number]] is 13 and the yellow Flobot seen on a mission in the beginning of Architects of Change has a 13 on the lower part of his face.
* DeadGuyOnDisplay: Lt.Farrior's room is littered with easily dozens of Flobot heads on a shelf.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: The main character from the song Handlebars goes from being able to ride his bike [[TitleDrop with no handlebars]] to a CorruptCorporateExecutive then to an oppressive dictator who can "end the planet in a holocaust!/ in a holocaust!/ in a HOLOCAUST!!". [[IronicEcho Also, he can ride his bike with no handlebars]].

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In the music video for Handlebars at the end [[spoiler: there is a riot lead by the main character's brother who gets shot when the police put down the riot along with several other rioters]] the look on the main character's face says it all.

* RidiculouslyHumanRobots: In the comics the Flobots are [[AdaptationalBadass freedom fighting robots]] originally created to help put an end to the second American Civil War and bring back peace and prosparity. Came in two models the diplomats and defenders to protect the diplomats. The defenders also double as potential [[KillerRobot killer robots]] if they have to, but both models prefer to settle things peacefully.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: In response to Logan Paul`s ``No Handlebars``. Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfFunny.
* ThirteenIsUnlucky: In the comic poor Flobot #13 goes on [[spoiler: an effective suicide mission to retrieve vital information and send it back the good guy's in the [[ElaborateUndergroundBase Vulture]] and got blown up in the process. Later he gets what is effectively his mind/soul stolen by the PsychoForHire.]]