According to amazon.com, Charge!! (the latest album from The Aquabats) "blends quirky new-wave melody with the band's hometown signature punk rock sound, concreted with their uniquely sarcastic humour." Now, I don't know much about that, and frankly I don't know much about The Aquabats, but I like this CD. It openly mocks the current music 'scene' on "Fashion Zombies!" but in a way that rather than coming off as bitter or tired, sounds playful and bouncy. From just looking at them, you could guess that they have something of a preoccupation with super heroes, and this comes through in their music too, with songs like "Awesome Forces!" and "Mechanical Ape!" They'd rather write about wondering where their lost action figures are than write some political protest song. And yes, they do like the exclamation marks.
Apparently, they have goofy live shows where they - as superheroes - are attacked by nefarious villains such as 'Powdered Milk Man' and 'The Floating Eye of Death'. It all sounds very silly, and to some it might be inane. I personally think The Aquabats are a lot of fun. Some upbeat ska-ish music for when you want a break from the self-consious artiste types. Give it a try. It will put a smile on your face :)
