Review Summary: Do you even know what a Wawa is?
The Bloodhound Gang were sort of like Schrodinger’s Cat, in that it was impossible to tell if they were a group of morons making the most puerile *** ever or mad geniuses, mashing together a collage of styles and sounds, completely unconcerned with how the general public would react. While they’re often considered one hit wonders thanks to the smash success of their eurodance rave up ‘The Bad Touch’, their music was often much more versatile than what people thought. Their debut ‘Use Your Fingers’ was a surreal mess of samples, frantic drum loops, disco bass and intense fiery delivery. Eventually, they mellowed out a little and started using their own instruments while keeping the juvenile humour. Their third album ‘Hooray For Boobies’ was a relative chart success and ‘The Bad Touch’ threw them straight into the limelight. With the peak of Nu Metal in the early 2000s, the group seemed poised to take control of the scene and release another success but oddly enough, they didn’t, and recording sessions for their fourth album trailed on for four years before ‘Hefty Fine’ crashed into stores to so-so sales and reviews so hostile and negative you’d think the band had gone to the Deep South and taken a *** on the bible then wiped their asses with the American flag (though in all honesty, I could see this happening. Hell, flag desecration is what caused them to break up in the first place. Shoutouts to Russia). But is Hefty Fine really that bad? Does it really deserve to be the second worst rated album on all of Metacritic, second only to Kevin Federline’s wonderful flaming trashcan ‘Playing with Fire’?
Whilst the band had always been experimenting with electronics since their inception, Hefty Fine places the synths and keys front and centre. The first main song on the album ‘Balls Out’ kicks off with a stuttering techno rhythm before a chunky Nu metal guitar riff fills in the space and the song becomes a head banging stomper. The lyrics are, as per usual, stupid and childish, though interestingly self deprecating and boastful at the same time. It’s a little repetitive but catchy enough to start the album off well and Jimmy Pop’s rhyming skills aren’t terrible. Lead single ‘Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo’ (hahaha geddit it says F.U.C.K) follows, sounding so much like Blink 182 you would be forgiven if you mixed them up. The guitar riff is clean and catchy and the rhythm section keeps the song bouncing at a solid pace before the chorus cranks up the distortion. It’s a catchy little track and while being nothing special, still manages to be infectious and catchy. From here on out, the album tends to follow one of two styles. Dance inspired tracks like ‘The Bad Touch’ or catchy power pop drenched in disgusting vile lyrics, bar ‘Ralph Wiggum’ which is made entirely out of Simpsons quotes from the character of the same name. Second single ‘Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss’ plays like a variation on ‘The Bad Touch’ but is, dare I say it, catchier and an overall better song (The guitar line in the chorus being particularly solid) and the closer ‘No Hard Feelings’ mixes glistening Trance synths with the occasional blast of guitar and a deliciously catchy vocal melody. The sound of these songs has obviously aged, but despite this, They’re still undeniable catchy. Similarly, deep cuts ‘Something Diabolical’ is an eerie sort of rap/sort of dark pop song with a solid instrumental and ‘I’m The Least You Could Do’ mixes dance with rock and manages to be surprisingly quite emotional and effective, with a pretty piano melody and a rough guitar section along with some fairly passionate vocals, despite the goofy and over the top lyrics.
It isn’t all dance beats though. The band do stick to a pop punk/power pop sound throughout the record and it certainly shows on some songs, like the aforementioned ‘F.U.C.K’ and the bopping ‘Pennsylvania’. For an album so reviled critics, there really aren’t many songs that are outright bad, bar the completely forgettable and considerably unfunny ‘Farting With A Walkman On’. That and the three forgettable and pointless interludes, which include audio of one of the band members having violent diarrhoea, a Will Smith diss and a weird sexually charged impression that lasts 4 seconds. They’re brief though, so they really don’t damage the album.
Really, I’m quite shocked. I was cautious stepping into this album, given how loathed it is by critics but hell, I finished it having had quite a fun time. Dare I say,
This is an underrated little album. Like don’t get me wrong, it could be far better but for what it’s worth, Hefty Fine is actually pretty good. It’s pretty brainless at times, but the group’s strong knack for catchy hooks, strong instrumentation and great flow make this record really better than some will suggest. It’s not life changing, but really you might end up liking it more than you think. And if you don’t, hey, no hard feelings
Recommended songs:
Balls Out, Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo, I’m The Least You Could Do, Ralph Wiggum, Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss, No Hard Feelings
