Aqua is a Danish-Norwegian Europop band that formed in 1989 as "Joyspeed", but had no real success until 1997, after having renamed themselves "Aqua" in 1995. Members include singers René Dif and Lene Nystrøm, and instrumentalists Søren Rasted and formerly Claus Norreen.

tek's rating: ¾

Aquarium
AllMusic; Amazon; Apple Music; Discogs; Spotify; Wikipedia

This is the band's first album, released in 1997. I must have listened it it fairly often after I first got it, so all the songs are at least somewhat memorable to me, and I like all of them. I'm reviewing the album in 2024, after many years of not listening to it, but I like it as much as I ever did.

1. "Happy Boys & Girls": This song just makes me happy, so it's aptly titled. It's just so upbeat! (But that's true of most of Aqua's songs.)

2. "My Oh My": This is the second single. It has pirate-themed lyrics and video, but a mostly '90s dance pop sound. The lyrics are actually kind of sad, I guess, but it's still upbeat.

3. "Barbie Girl": This is the third single, but it must be the first Aqua song I ever heard. And of course it's the band's biggest hit. It's absolutely ridiculous, but so much fun! Probably my second favorite Aqua song.

4. "Good Morning Sunshine": This is a slower song, sort of a ballad. And it has a bit of a Spanish sound to the guitar in some parts, I think. It's also got a rap part, which I think feels a bit out of place, but it's not bad. Most of the song is more sort of pretty and melodic.

5. "Doctor Jones": This is the fourth single, and probably my favorite Aqua song. In an album full of bouncy, happy, upbeat pop, this is for my money the most bouncy, happy, and upbeat. The beat really hits me hard. It's kind of silly, like most of the band's songs, but it makes me really happy.

6. "Heat of the Night": Now this one has an unmistakably Spanish influence. It's different from other Aqua songs, but still very much an Aqua song.

7. "Be a Man": This one is slower and kind of sadder in a way, than other songs on the album. I also want to say it kind of sounds more American than other Aqua songs. It's not bad, but it's probably my least favorite song on hate album.

8. "Lollipop (Candyman)": This is the fifth single. I like it well enough, but not quite as well as I thought I would before I re-listened to the album for this review.

9. "Roses Are Red": This is the first single, released ahead of the album. It's not one of my favorites, but I still like it. In a couple of spots the singing sounds briefly reversed, which I like.

10. "Turn Back Time": This is the sixth single. It's another fairly slow song, not really poppy. It's kind of melancholy, actually.

11. "Calling You": Before I listened to this song again I couldn't recall what it would sound like, unlike most of the songs on the album, but as soon as it started I remembered it. It's good, but not one of my favorites.

So yeah, not a single song I actually dislike, and a lot of songs that I love. I could understand anyone being dismissive of the band because of how bubblegum they are, but I for one like bubblegum. It's just pure fun, and doesn't need to be more than that.

favorite albums

tek's rating:

Aquarius
AllMusic; Amazon; Apple Music; Discogs; Spotify; Wikipedia

This is the band's second album, released in 2000. I'm reviewing it in 2025.

1. "Cartoon Heroes": This is the first single from the album, and the song I remember best from the album. It's got a good dance beat, some backing orchestration, and fun lyrics. It's not as great as some of the songs from the first album, but I still really like it. And it might have my favorite Aqua music video.

2. "Around the World": This is the second single. I wasn't sure if I'd remember it, but it turned out to be somewhat familiar to me. I don't find it super memorable, but I do like it.

3. "Freaky Friday": This is kind of weird, but it's got a good beat. It calls life a country song, but it sounds nothing like country music. For the most part.

4. "We Belong to the Sea": This is a ballad rather than a dance song. It's nice.

5. "An Apple a Day": I have no idea what this is really about, beyond trying to be happy, but it's not bad.

6. "Halloween": The opening is kind of creepy, and it was familiar when I listened to the song. The rest of the song is less familiar, but it's still kind of fun, if you want a spooky dance song for the holiday. I just added it to my "Halloween jams" playlist on Spotify.

7. "Good Guys": This is kind of ballad-y and kind of techno-y. I'm not sure how I feel about it.

8. "Back from Mars": It's not bad, I guess.

9. "Aquarius": This is another ballad. It's kind of nice, but also sad.

10. "Cuba Libre": Not surprisingly, this has a Cuban flavor to it. And it's got a good beat.

11. "Bumble Bees": This is a fairly silly, playful song about sex, I guess. I feel like it would be a good fit for an AMV of "Bee Movie" (which I've never seen).

12. "Goodbye to the Circus": This does have a circus-y vibe, and feels like an ending, so it's appropriate that it's the last song on the album. But it's not goodbye forever...

Well, I don't find this album as memorable as the first one, but it's still rather fun and danceable.