MattA75's Full Review: Return of the Aquabats by The Aquabats
As one of the bands who saw their own fortunes rise due to the "great ska revival of 1997," California's The Aquabats have endured numerous lineup changes (including losing drummer Travis Barker to Blink 182), the lack of any real touring,, and the unwillingness of friends in other bands to support them to remain one of the more energetic and creative ska bands out there today.
While the band's second release, 1997's The Fury of the Aquabats garnered decent sales (again, thanks to that year's ska revival), their debut album, Return of the Aquabats, has been largely ignored many more casual fans of the band, and can be a tough find at record stores.
For those who might be wondering exactly what the Aquabats deal is, they basically dress up as superheroes and defend 'the kids' from various evil doers and monsters. Sure, its cheesy, but it has found an audience, and the live show is certainly not to be missed (assuming they ever come to your neighborhood, not bloody likely if you live east of oh, Utah). In addition to this, the band writes goofy ska anthems about midget pirates, being attacked by snakes, and well, 'the Super Rad,' whatever the hell exactly that is.
What's most interesting about this debut is that it is the release that is focused almost entirely on the ska genre. Future releases would find the band moving into punk rock territory, not to mention more than a few songs that sound an awful lot like one of the group's biggest influences, Devo.
The three most popular tracks on this disc all also appear on the more popular Fury of the Aquabats, albeit with slight changes. The major thing you will notice is the production, which leaves the disc very thin sounding, despite the presence of drums, guitar, bass, horns and vocals. Playdough is a bit of a reminiscence about childhood (mentions of Vans, action figures, Star Wars, GI Joes, and Scooby Doo), driven by a peppy horn section brought right out front in the production. Martian Girl, which is yes, about a martian girl 'with big orange eyes and green skin', is left wafer thin due to the production,and while the band brings some energy to this track, ultimately the version on Fury is just out and out better. Lastly, Idiot Box finds the horn section left in the background, despite the fact that once again, that is what is driving the song.
The group's early 1980s English ska influences come to the fore on Ska Robot Army. Structured much like Madness'One Step Beyond (an instrumental with occasional odd vocals), the song is a solid showcase for each instrumental members' skills. Of most note is the solid work done by the rhythm section, who help keep the song tight with room for loose exploration.
Perhaps the most infectious song on the disc is Marshmallow Man, which is also about as serious as the band gets lyrically on the CD. It appears to poke fun at suburban white kids' fascination with gangsta rap culture ("check yourself before you wreck yourself, a little man with a gun in his hand...Straight outta Compton is your battle cry, but you're from a suburban track, didn't your mom and daddy teach you that ghetto stuff is whack?").
The Devo influence starts to show itself ever so slightly towards the back half of the CD. On Aquabat March, the keyboards especially remind me of something Devo-esque, while much of the ridiculous CD Repo Man is a mishmashing of the Aquabats upbeat ska style with Devo's new wave tones.
My personal favorite moment of the disc may just be during the song Pinch and Roll, with the pure reggae breakdown, including the most awful faux Jamaican vocals I've ever heard. Yet it never fails to bring a smile to my face.
While The Return of the Aquabats is not as solid overall as its follow up, it is still probably the band's second best album (neck and neck with the odds and sods collection Myths Legends and Other Amazing Adventures Vol 2). That being said, it does have its faults, not the least of which is the aforementioned thin production, and the real lack of diversification of sound throughout the disc. At times it is hard to tell exactly where one track has ended and the next has begun. So if you're looking for a fun enough ska album, this may just be your piece of cake. People who take themselves way too seriously need not apply.
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