Bloodhound Gang's latest album is offensive, sexist and hilarious

Jim Beaugez
Life Editor

The Bloodhound Gang's latest album, "Hooray For Boobies," may be a diverse album encompassing everything from the requisite rock/rap to new wave, but it's still just a bunch of 20-somethings goofing off in a recording studio.

The Bloodhound Gang has made a viable career out of being a latter-day 2 Live Crew.The group's fifth-grade rhymes and party-ready beats combine with suburbian boredom into a sound that Bill Cosby would call "filth, flarn, filth."

The Bloodhound Gang crawled out of Collegeville, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia, Pa., in the mid-90s with the hilarious "Use Your Fingers." Featuring songs such as "Pretty When I'm Drunk," "Legend In My Spare Time" and "Mama Say," the album failed miserably. Still, the band decided to make another album, ditching their Columbia Records contract for a new one with Republic. The move proved wise, as the band scored a global hit with "Fire Water Burn." The success of 1996's "One Fierce Beer Coaster" made it possible for the band to tour extensively, playing Australia, Europe and Asia. "Fire Water Burn" brought vocalist Jimmy Pop's monotone style to countries around the world, and the band toured with Reverend Horton Heat, Iggy Pop, Lagwagon, Sugar Ray, Blink 182 and countless others. After losing their remarkably childlike drummer, Spanky G, to community college, The Bloodhound Gang regrouped and set out to make their next record.

"Hooray For Boobies" is a balance of metal, rap, pop, electronica, punk, new wave and 1980s synth. The music isn't anything difficult, but it does provide an enjoyable backdrop for Jimmy Pop's juvenile rants. Pop sounds somewhat educated, but he uses it in ways KRS-One and Q-Tip never dreamed. On the album-opening "I Hope You Die," the group adopts a Fat Wreck Chords/SoCal-influenced melodic metal/punk sound. Pop tells the listener how he feels about no one in particular, but makes it somewhat entertaining.

"Mope" is just too audacious to ignore; the band actually samples Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus," Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "Relax" and Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls" in the same song. I'm not sure what this song is about, and the Gang probably doesn't know, either. High point: "Buggin' out like Tori Spelling's eyes/Deader than the parents on ŒParty of Five.'" "Take The Long Way Home" features Reel Big Fish trombonist Tavis Werts and Less Than Jake saxophonist Derron Nuhfer, who add a swingy pop feel to Pop's Cake-influenced vocals. Again, Pop's raps reach new highs (lows): "Life is like Marion Berry/It's not all that it's cracked up to be."

On "The Bad Touch," the album's first single, The Bloodhound Gang assume the role of lay biology teachers as they make obscene references to The Discovery Channel against a disco beat. The music sounds like a sex-obsessed Flock of Seagulls or early Depeche Mode. "Hooray For Boobies" is an obscene, sexist, degrading and hilarious album. Only The Bloodhound Gang could come up with music so stupid and so fun. For the easily-offended music fan, do yourself a favor and stay away from this album. For the rest of the world (excluding Singapore and Malaysia, both of which banned the group), exercise your First Amendment rights by picking up this record.