Charge!!
| Charge | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Missing image The_Aquabats-Charge_Cover.jpg Album cover | |||
| Album by The Aquabats | |||
| Released | June 7, 2005 | ||
| Recorded | 2005 | ||
| Genre | Alternative | ||
| Length | 38 min 32 sec | ||
| Label | Nitro Records | ||
| Producer | Cameron Webb | ||
| Professional reviews | |||
| The Aquabats Chronology | |||
| Yo, Check Out This Ride (2004) | Charge!! (2005) | None announced | |
Charge!! is the fifth album by The Aquabats. The album marks the band's debut on Nitro Records, and was followed by their first national tour in several years. The album is very similar in sound to the previous year's EP Yo, Check Out This Ride. Thematically, it continues the band's satire of the music "scene," from the beginning with the song "Fashion Zombies!", which lampoons the goth subculture. Another major theme explored on the album, as on many of their other albums, is the pressure and awkwardness of adolescence. "Nerd Alert!" is an affirmation and rallying cry for nerds and outcasts, while "Hot Summer Nights (Won't Last Forever)!" is a ballad sung from the perspective of someone who doesn't realize that the girl he's courting never wants to speak to him again. Though the crew has thinned out since the band's last full length, the superhero and fantasy elements are still present. "Mechanical Ape!", "Stuck in a Movie!", and "Tiger Rider vs. the Time Sprinkler" are examples of the silly subjects the band has become known for. The album finishes with "Awesome Forces!" a superhero anthem reminiscent of "Super Rad" or "Theme Song" from The Fury...
Sonically, the band has lost nearly all of the horn sounds from earlier albums. Virtually all of the songs are backed by an electronic melody, and the album is overall the "rock-iest" one in their catalog. The album is still stylistically diverse, with "Waterslides!" bordering on dub.
The album was released to a very positive reaction from fans. The first song, "Fashion Zombies!" had been released two months earlier for download on the band's website. Copies also appeared on file-trading networks about a month prior to the official release, much to the band's dismay. Some copies of the album were released without the promised trading cards. It is unclear whether this was a packaging error or whether the cards were only for certain markets.
Track Listing
(All songs by the Aquabats)
- Now, Stand Back for Your Own Safety! (0:06)
- Fashion Zombies! (3:16)
- Stuck in a Movie! (2:48)
- Tiger Rider vs. the Time Sprinkler! (2:25)
- Nerd Alert! (3:14)
- Plastic Lips! (2:42)
- Look at Me (I'm a Winner)! (3:35)
- Hot Summer Nights (Won't Last Forever)! (3:49)
- Meltdown! (3:38)
- Mechanical Ape! (3:06)
- Demolition Rickshaw! (3:14)
- Waterslides! (3:48)
- Awesome Forces! (2:51)
Personell
(As listed in the liner notes)
- The MC Bat Commander - Vocals
- Crash McLarson - Bass, Vocals
- Chainsaw - Guitar
- Jimmy the Robot - Keyboards, Vocals
- Ricky Fitness - Drums, Percussion, Sequencing, Vocals