Music Review: The Aquabats - Hi-Five Soup!

Let me just start this review off by saying how incredibly stupid Hi-Five Soup! is. It is ridiculously goofy and childish, to the point that I'm embarrassed to be listening to it. But I listen to it over and over again. Why? Because it has some sort of magical power to draw in grown adults and make them feel like children again. That's a good thing, trust me.

I mean, this is the band who released a debut CD entitled "The Return of The Aquabats," so if any of this has surprised you so far than you must be a newcomer. The MC Bat Commander and crew started out their career riding the ska wave of the '90s, but following a six year gap between The Aquabats Vs. The Floating Eye of Death and Charge!! they made significant changes.

Hi-Five Soup! follows the example of Charge!!, which ditched the horn section and concentrated on poppy nerd-rock, but now the music seems more geared toward kids and their parents. It's not a big shock considering Christian Jacobs (a.k.a. The MC Bat Commander) is co-creator of the Nick Jr. kids show Yo Gabba Gabba! (and apparently a huge fan of exclamation marks).

Just like Yo Gabba Gabba!, Hi-Five Soup! is perfect for keeping both child and childish adult entertained. I don't often laugh out loud (LAWL, if you will) while listening to music, but I have several times while listening to this record. And it's nothing that I would laugh at normally, but the entire package has a way of breaking down any hipster, to-cool-for-school attitude you might have until, "We don't need no thugs! Unless those thugs was, givin' out hugs!" makes you giggle like an 8-year old at a sleepover.

The only issue might be holding up to repeat listens, because if your kid gets a hold of it you'll likely come to intimately know every single detail. Honestly, I've listened from start to finish at least six times in the last three days and I'm not sick of it. In fact, I'm still discovering new parts to enjoy. Like in the song B.F.F.! when the auto-tuning thrown in for seemingly no reason gets so ridiculous that Jacobs starts sounds like a chipmunk, at which point he immediately delivers the line, "And the chipmunks, are our little frieeeeeeeeeends. So don't step on theeeeeeeem." all while his voice is pitched up and down at a rapid pace.

I know, it's stupid. I've established that. But it works so well. Look, a lot of bands take themselves way too seriously, to the point that they even seem to take joking around a little too seriously. If you're cool with that, by all means. But if you need a refreshing blast of stupidity, well then Hi-Five Soup! might be perfect for you.