In the midst of all the recent releases from the pop industry and teenage love ballads provided by Britney Spears and 98 Degrees, a familiar voice is breaking through the airwaves, swooping in and shoving family values and boy-band wholesomeness into the back seat and knocking them on their pubescent tushes.
Whenever there’s a need to get into a brawl, tune out girlfriends, bosses or the rest of society, tuning into Limp Bizkit’s new release “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog-Flavored Water” is your best bet.
Awkward title? Sure. 75 minutes of tasty tracks? Guaranteed. If you’re looking for sonic-speed ear candy capable of blowing out your eardrums, Bizkit serves up a heaping spoonful.
The band’s follow-up to 1999’s “Significant Other” delivers an album full of testosterone-driven, purely adrenalized tracks. This male machismo attitude is epitomized in the track “Full Nelson” (mirroring their earlier single “Break Stuff”).
Bizkit’s song “Hot Dog” (which deserves some type of award for the most times the F-word appears in a song) is indicative of what vocalist Fred Durst has to say and sets the tone for the rest of the album. Immediately following is Durst’s anthem for teenage/20-something angst on “My Generation.”
While there is little or no evolution or departure from “Significant,” Bizkit is still able to deliver a swarm of memorable and catchy tunes that are sure to get your blood pumping. As the saying goes, why change horses midstream? Once again, Durst tries to get deep on some of the slower, I-attempted-a-ballad songs such as “The One” and “Hold On.” While these tracks are very thoughtful and personable, they unfortunately do not stand out as well as the other “love” songs.
However, Bizkit is able to intricately blend their styles of extreme rock with their you-pissed-me-off-and-now-I’m-leaving ballads to produce “My Way” and “Boiler.” “My Way” shows great similarities to “No Sex,” from “Significant,” and is likely to be one of their next singles.
Despite the album’s saturation with pent-up rage finally getting released, it’s also quite fun; perhaps dumb fun, but fun nonetheless. In his lyrics, Durst pokes fun at critics and what people have to say about him and even addresses his alleged relationship with pop sensation Christina Aguilera in “Livin’ it Up.” The two even performed a portion of the song as a “duet” on the MTV 2000 Video Music Awards. (Ms. Aguilera, bless your heart for the cute attempt at trying to be more grunge oriented; it didn’t go unnoticed, but please leave the rocking-out to the professionals.)
If you’re the type who’s apprehensive to buy a CD without hearing much of the content, then you’re in luck. Although the LP was released Oct. 17, the album already boasts three successful singles: “Take a Look Around (Theme from “M:i-2),” “My Generation,” and “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle).” So, instead of having to deal with the whole awkward first-date scenario, it’s more like starting off on the third of fourth date. The one thing missing that would help bring this album full-circle, though, would have been to include the song “Crushed,” which was featured on the “End of Days” soundtrack.
 
A key ingredient in making a Limp Bizkit album is to throw in a mixture of other artists. Stone Temple Pilots’ Scott Weiland, Method Man and Redman are all veterans of making Bizkit cameos, and they return in this brand new rock-meets-rap endeavor. Added to the guest list this time around are rappers DMX, contributing to “Rollin’ (Urban Assault Vehicle),” and Xzibit, providing lyrics on the hip-hop track “Getcha Groove On.” And to bring another familiar voice to the album, lyrics from Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” were borrowed for the song “Hot Dog.”
Another element not to be excluded in the success of this album is the rest of the band. Guitarist Wes Borland provides excellent riffs and creates unique, atmospheric sounds that mirror the emotional level of each song. Drummer John Otto, bassist Sam Rivers and former House of Pain member D.J. Lethal round out the quintet, providing excellent craftsmanship in their blend of subtle melodies with the spastic fits that drive the choruses.
Even though “Starfish” may be a carbon copy of “Significant Other,” it’s a cool album, just like its predecessor, and is worthy of being a permanent fixture in your CD changer. As actor/comedian Ben Stiller says on the final track, “Outro,” “When you’re limpin’ with the Bizkit, you’re talkin’ about the major grooves in rock and roll. Who else could take rap, hip-hop, thrash-punk metal, … throw it in a can, spin it around and come out with something that wasn’t fertilizer?”