National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

From Hollywood to our nation's capitol, the concept of the hero is more pervasive than ever in 2009. But in a time when donning the cape is so en vogue, Florida's Solillaquists of Sound go the next step with their most personal work yet. The second in a trilogy of conceptually-linked albums, No More Heroes sheds the overtly cerebral approach that marked their debut As If We Existed in exchange for a more aggressive, in-your-face sound that is driven by the synth-heavy beats of MPC mastermind DiViNCi and the urgent vocals of Swamburger, Alexandrah, and Tonya Combs.

The past few years have seen the quartet blossom as they toured the world with the likes of Sage Francis, KRS-One, Bad Brains, Ozomatli, El-P and Michael Franti & Spearhead, who they also backed on the election year anthem "The Obama Song." Their unparalleled live shows have won SoS a rabid grassroots following of devoted fans inspired by their eclectic musical aesthetic and unique approach to songwriting.

With a musical canvas fusing elements of hip hop, dubstep, prog-rock, afrobeat, folk music, and epic movie scores, the sound of No More Heroes is a blistering collage that never loses its identity, maintaining an underlying unified sound. The kid gloves are off; the record is primal, energetic, and as passionate as ever, a collection of songs representing a group at the apex of their collective virtuosity.

That virtuosity makes for a bedazzling display throughout the album. With a musical canvas fusing elements of hip hop, dubstep, prog-rock, afrobeat, folk music, and epic movie scores, the sound of No More Heroes is a blistering collage that never loses its identity, maintaining an underlying unified sound. Swamburger's malleable raps and Alexandrah's beautifully layered vocal harmonies find able company in this aural playground with components such as live horns, talk box-addled MPC sounds, strings, sinuous synths, spastic drums, and more.

But dig beneath the surface of the sleek and cold-veined sounds of DiViNCi's production, and it isn't difficult to grasp the Trojan Horse method that the group appropriated for No More Heroes. As pieces of a grander concept-driven album (in a time when such an ambitious effort is an all-too-rare entity), these songs all revolve around the theme of the hero; whether it's lamenting the absence of the great heroes of our past ("Harriet Tubman," "The Roots of Kinte," and the Martin Luther King, Jr.-inspired "Bulletproof") or renouncing the idea of a society being so dependent on heroes altogether ("Marvel," "Heroes"), each track promotes a message of self-empowerment - a call of action to be your own hero.

A fitting sentiment coming from a collective who's never shied away from giving back to the community. Case in point - J Dilla tribute "Death of the Muse," featuring J-Live, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, and Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey (mother of the deceased influential producer) was made available for download in late 2008, with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to Ms. Yancey, who's been afflicted with both medical and financial turmoil in the wake of her son's passing; Okayplayer.com featured the effort as one of their top news stories, and LA Weekly called the track "the most awesome song in the history of awesomedom." Additionally, plans are underway to launch the Solilla Center 4 Creative Kids, a non-profit school designed to empower our youth with the knowledge of all things good for mind, body, and spirit.

The role of the pioneer may have a history of getting lost in the sands of time, overlooked by contemporaries only to be unearthed years later and recognized for contribution to the craft - but the Solillaquists of Sound stand a good chance of breaking that cycle. While the world at large waits for a caped figure to swoop down and right the wrongs of our society, Solilla is here to spread the message loud and clear that in the times in which we live, there can be No More Heroes.