You've heard the squeaky sounds of "Barbie Girl", and perhaps you've wondered how a song that silly could become one of the biggest dance hits of 1999. Well, keep wondering - and while you're at it, take a look at "Aquarius", Aqua's sequel to "Aquarium", the album that spawned "Barbie Girl" and a few other equally strange hits.
"Aquarius" holds true to the standard Aqua mold - synthesized sounds set to a dance beat, and a sometimes-grating, sometimes-amusing insistence on strange lyrics. As a matter of fact, the album sounds quite similar to the previous one, and with the exception of a few tracks ["Halloween" is interesting], Aqua seems to have decided to stick to the time-tested formula that made "Aquarium" such a hit.
Of the twelve tracks on "Aquarius", "Cartoon Heroes" is already receiving quite a bit of airplay - look for the rest soon, and be prepared for a repeat of the "Barbie Girl" mania.
This article was first published on22 Mar 2000.