| 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]
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 new wave sounds that The Aquabats established on their previous album Charge!! , though incorporates slightly stronger elements of synthpop and electronica. The album also includes touches of hip-hop, present on songs such as "Hey Homies!", "Luck Dragon Lady!" and "Radio Down!", the latter featuring an appearance from Biz Markie, as well as a ska song, "In My Dreams!".
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.
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, The Aquabats! Super Show! , had been picked up as a series by United States cable channel The Hub. Spending most of 2011 in production, there was no further touring behind the album, nor was a music video produced. However, several songs from Hi-Five Soup! have appeared in the series, most prominently in the first-season episode "EagleClaw!", which included a live performance of "The Legend Is True!" filmed at a concert at The Glass House club in Pomona, California on November 5, 2011, and the second-season episode "The Shark Fighter!", which was based on the song of the same name and features both the original song and an orchestral arrangement.
Upon its release, Hi-Five Soup! became the highest-charting Aquabats album since 1997's The Fury of The Aquabats! , peaking at 181 on the Billboard 200, as well as reaching 5 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers, the band's highest placement on the chart until 2019, when The Aquabats! Super Show! Television Soundtrack: Volume One debuted at number one. [9] [10]
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 Christian Jacobs created and composed for, due to the album's light-hearted lyrical content and accessible synthpop and electronica elements. Punknews.org gave the album a 3.5 out of 5 star rating, feeling ambivalent towards the album's "kid-friendly" slant but stating "there’s still enough of the Aquabats’ exciting musical arrangements mixed with a newfound obsession with electronica alongside their zany cartoonish storytelling to make the album enjoyable for listeners of any age". [11] Alternative Press echoed similar sentiments in another 3.5/5 rating, writing "While the Aquabats have never been known for mature songwriting, Hi-Five Soup! walks a thin line between fun pop-punk and a full-on children’s record", summarizing "The album is by no means a masterpiece, but the addition of a few of its most promising tunes to the Aquabats' live show will make the experience that much more entertaining for the parents and kids in the audience". [1]
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 | ||
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Billboard 200 | 181 |
| 2011 | Heatseekers | 5 |
| 2011 | Independent Albums | 24 |
| 2011 | Rock albums | 45 |
| 2011 | Kids albums | 7 |
The Aquabats are an American rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1994. Throughout many fluctuations in the group's line-up, singer the MC Bat Commander and bassist Crash McLarson have remained the band's two constant fixtures. Since 2006, the Aquabats' members also include keyboardist Jimmy the Robot, drummer Ricky Fitness and guitarist Eaglebones Falconhawk.
Yo! Check Out This Ride! EP is an EP by American band the Aquabats, independently recorded and released by the band themselves in 2004.
The Aquabats vs. the Floating Eye of Death! is the third studio album from American band The Aquabats, released on October 26, 1999, on Goldenvoice Records.
Charge!! is the fourth studio album by American comedy rock band The Aquabats, released on June 7, 2005 by Nitro Records.
The Fury of the Aquabats! is the second studio album by American rock band the Aquabats, released on October 28, 1997, by Goldenvoice Records and Time Bomb Recordings.
Myths, Legends and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 2 is a compilation album by American band The Aquabats, released on November 7, 2000 by Fearless Records. The album is a collection of studio outtakes, b-sides and miscellaneous unreleased tracks recorded during the production of the band's 1999 studio album, The Aquabats vs. the Floating Eye of Death!.
Christian Richards Jacobs is an American musician, television producer, and actor. He is perhaps most recognized as the co-creator of the award-winning Nick Jr. series Yo Gabba Gabba!, on which he additionally serves as a writer, director, composer, and voice actor.
Supernova is an American punk rock band, founded in Costa Mesa, California in 1989. The band has released three full-length albums, numerous singles and EPs and were part of the original 1995 Vans Warped Tour line-up. They are perhaps best known by wider audiences for their song "Chewbacca", which was featured on the soundtrack to Kevin Smith's 1994 independent film Clerks. They are also known for the song "Up & Down", which was performed in 2007 on the Nick Jr. children's show Yo Gabba Gabba!
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Ian Fowles is an American musician, author, and actor, best known as the current guitarist for the Orange County rock band The Aquabats, in which he performs under the stage name and persona of EagleBones Falconhawk. Prior to joining The Aquabats, Fowles was also one of the founding members of the hardcore punk band Death by Stereo.
Chad Albert Larson is an American musician, best known as the co-founder and bass guitarist for the Orange County rock band The Aquabats, in which he performs under the stage name and persona of Crash McLarson. From 2012 to 2014, Larson also played Crash McLarson on The Hub original series The Aquabats! Super Show! and on the series' 2019 YouTube-based revival The Aquabats! RadVentures!.
Richard Falomir is an American musician and composer, perhaps best recognized as the current drummer for the Orange County rock band The Aquabats, in which he performs under the stage name and persona of Ricky Fitness.
Courtney Adam "Corey" Pollock is an American musician, best known as a member of the Orange County band The Aquabats, in which he played guitar under the stage name of Chainsaw, the Prince of Karate from 1995 to 2006.
The Aquabats! Super Show! is an American action-comedy musical television series which aired from March 3, 2012 to January 8, 2014 on The Hub Network, later resuming as an independent YouTube series from September 2019 to July 2021. The series was created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz, both the creators of the Nick Jr. Channel series Yo Gabba Gabba!, and Jason deVilliers.
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The discography of The Aquabats, an Orange County, California-based rock band, consists of six studio albums, one compilation album, one soundtrack album, two EPs, one live album, one video album and three music videos, among other recordings.
"The Shark Fighter!" is a song by American band The Aquabats from their fifth studio album Hi-Five Soup!, released on Fearless Records in 2011. The song was issued as a single in December 2010, the second single released from Hi-Five Soup! following "Radio Down!" in November 2010.
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