Hi-Five Soup!
Hi-Five Soup! | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 18, 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2010 at Maple Studios in Orange County, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 34:54 | |||
Label | Fearless | |||
Producer | Cameron Webb, The Aquabats | |||
The Aquabats chronology | ||||
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Singles from Hi-Five Soup! | ||||
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Hi-Five Soup! is the fifth studio album from American band The Aquabats, released on January 18, 2011 by Fearless Records.[2][3]
Overview
In interviews leading up to Hi-Five Soup!'s release, lead vocalist Christian Jacobs (The MC Bat Commander) described the album as "Yo Gabba Gabba!-meets-The Aquabats", noting "[the] themes of the songs are just kind of silly and stupid...it's less trying to appeal to a little bit older crowd and just trying to appeal to the Halloween costume crowd".[4][5] Of the album's music, he mentioned "there's more stripped down punk kind of sounds" and "we have been relying a lot more on the keyboards and there's a lot more electronic stuff in there, but I think kids will be surprised that there are some songs that sound a lot like old school Aquabats".[5]
Musically, Hi-Five Soup! continues in the guitar and keyboard-driven rock and
Lyrically, the album makes no deviation from The Aquabats' trademark style of comedic comic book-influenced narrative songs (most notably on "The Shark Fighter!") and pop culture homages (such as on "Luck Dragon Lady!", which is based on the 1984 fantasy film The NeverEnding Story and directly quotes a line from "Girl U Want" by Devo), while also retaining some of the geek-centric social satire present on Charge!!, as heard in "Pink Pants!" and "Just Can't Lose!".
Hi-Five Soup! is the first Aquabats studio album to feature guitarist Ian Fowles (Eagle "Bones" Falconhawk), who joined the band in 2006. Thus, it was also the first not to feature Falconhawk's predecessor Corey Pollock (Chainsaw, the Prince of Karate) as an official member, though Pollock did contribute guitar tracks to the album under the credit of an additional musician.
Production history
In March 2010, after almost five years of minimal recording activity since the release of Charge!!, The Aquabats announced plans on their website to hopefully release a new studio album by the end of the year.[6] The project went entirely unmentioned until October, when the band confirmed that an album had in fact been independently recorded with producer Cameron Webb and was set for release on November 9, 2010. However, The Aquabats secured a last-minute distribution deal with Fearless Records, who chose to push the release date to January 2011 to allow proper promotion and marketing, instead releasing the EP Radio Down! on November 9, containing the album's first single.[5][7]
In mid-December, The Aquabats revealed the album's title and artwork, releasing its second single, "The Shark Fighter!", for digital download shortly thereafter.[3][8] In promotion of the album, The Aquabats embarked on a tour supporting Reel Big Fish, playing 21 shows across the Midwest and east coast regions of the United States. In December 2011, the band underwent a five-show tour of Australia, their first visit to the continent.
Two months after Hi-Five Soup!'s release, it was announced that The Aquabats' independently filmed television pilot,
Reception
Upon its release, Hi-Five Soup! became the highest-charting Aquabats album since 1997's
Critical reception to Hi-Five Soup! was mostly positive, though many reviewers had slightly mixed feelings towards what they perceived was a prominent influence from Yo Gabba Gabba!, the popular children's television series Aquabats singer
Track listing
All tracks are written by The Aquabats
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Shark Fighter!" | I. Fowles, C. Jacobs, C. Larson | 2:56 |
2. | "B.F.F.!" | R. Falomir, C. Jacobs, C. Larson | 3:20 |
3. | "The Legend Is True!" | J. Briggs, R. Falomir, I. Fowles, C. Jacobs, C. Larson | 3:21 |
4. | "Radio Down!" (Featuring Biz Markie) | R. Falomir, C. Jacobs | 3:31 |
5. | "Poppin' A Wheelie!" | 2:15 | |
6. | "Hey Homies!" | R. Falomir, C. Jacobs | 3:04 |
7. | "In My Dreams!" | C. Larson | 3:04 |
8. | "Just Can't Lose!" | C. Jacobs, C. Larson | 3:39 |
9. | "All My Money!" | J. Briggs, R. Falomir, I. Fowles, C. Jacobs | 2:48 |
10. | "Pink Pants!" (Featuring Strong Bad) | J. Briggs, I. Fowles, C. Jacobs, C. Larson | 2:31 |
11. | "Food Fight on the Moon!" | A. Deibert, C. Jacobs, C.Larson | 2:39 |
12. | "Luck Dragon Lady!" | R. Falomir, I. Walton, C. Jacobs, C. Larson | 3:46 |
Total length: | 34:54 |
Personnel
- The Aquabats[12]
- The MC Bat Commander– vocals
- Crash McLarson– bass, backing vocals
- Eagle "Bones" Falconhawk– guitar, backing vocals
- Jimmy The Robot – keyboards, backing vocals
- Ricky Fitness– drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Additional musicians
- Biz Markie – vocals on "Radio Down!"
- Matt Chapman – vocals on "Pink Pants!"
- Chainsaw the Prince of Karate – additional guitars
- Hillary Haynie, Emma J. Deaver, Emily Greathouse, Elisabeth Larson, Cameron Webb, Evan Sinclair, Tyler Jacobs – backing vocals
Billboard charts
Year | Chart | Peak position |
---|---|---|
2011 | Billboard 200 | 181 |
2011 | Heatseekers
|
5 |
2011 | Independent Albums | 24 |
2011 | Rock albums | 45 |
2011 | Kids albums | 7 |
References
- ^ Alternative Press. January 18, 2011.
- ^ "Hi-Five Soup! – The Aquabats". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
- ^ a b "The Aquabats detail Hi-Five Soup". Punknews.org. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
- ^ Ferguson, Brandon (December 27, 2010). "An Interview with Aquabats Singer The MC Bat Commander". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
- ^ a b c Evans, Tyler (October 11, 2010). "The Aquabats: Interview with The MC Bat Commander". Archived from the original on December 27, 2010.
- ^ The Aquabats (March 15, 2010). "The Aquabats! News Update". www.theaquabats.com.
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(help) - ^ The Aquabats (October 28, 2010). "The Aquabats! News Update". www.theaquabats.com.
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(help) - ^ "Media: The Aquabats!: "Shark Fighter"". Punknews.org. December 14, 2010.
- allmusic.com.
- ^ "The Aquabats! Super Show! Television Soundtrack: Volume One Chart History – Top Heatseekers". Billboard.
- ^ "The Aquabats – Hi-Five Soup! review". Punknews.org. January 25, 2011.
- ^ "ACE Repository". ASCAP. Retrieved 1 February 2023.