REVIEW: The B-52s – Funplex

The B-52s -Funplex

(Astralwerks)

1. “Pump” – 4:53
2. “Hot Corner” – 3:24
3. “Ultraviolet” – 4:25
4. “Juliet of the Spirits” – 4:22
5. “Funplex” – 4:07
6. “Eyes Wide Open” – 5:35
7. “Love in the Year 3000″ – 4:14
8. “Deviant Ingredient” – 4:50
9. “Too Much to Think About” – 3:47
10. “Dancing Now” – 4:02
11. “Keep This Party Going” – 4:31

It’s a great week for Athens, Georgia – its two most widely recognized bands, The B-52’s and the ubiquitous R.E.M. both have new albums in stores this week, and both are generating their fair share of critical acclaim.

First up, The B’s, with their first full studio album since 1992’s mixed-bag, ‘Good Stuff’. Don’t call it a comeback though – the group have remained a hugely popular live draw throughout the intervening years. ‘Funplex’ finds the irrepressible Fred Schneider leading the band in an effortless revamp of their sound for the 21st century, all the while retaining the hook-laden, off the wall charm that has cemented their reputation as the world’s greatest party band.

While the songs are generally poppier and more concise than their earliest work, the band’s identity and wild sense of abandon is unmistakeable from the outset. Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson’s vintage girl-group harmonies and Schneider’s trademark sprechstimme have remained gloriously intact, and songs like ‘Hot Corner’, ‘Funplex’ and ‘Ultraviolet’ have all the hit potential of a dozen trips to the Love Shack. Mellower moments like the Fellini referencing ‘Juliet Of The Spirits’ and ‘Eyes Wide Open’ are also richly rewarding.

In a world where the top 40 is dominated by imitators and hipsters, very few bands could sound more vibrant and revelatory than The B-52s being themselves. Special mention must go to ‘Deviant Ingredient’, in which Fred declares himself to be ‘an eroticist’ and a ‘fully eroticized being’ following a trip aboard a pink helicopter. Sexually charged, wilfully ridiculous, guaranteed to leave a smile on your face and without a trace of pretense, ‘Funplex’ is a party that only the most stone-faced shoegazer wouldn’t want to crash.

‘Funplex’ is in stores in the U.S., Canada and Germany now. An international release will follow on April 11th.

Visit www.theb52s.com

Discuss the band with other fans at http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/PlanetX/

~ by insomniacafe on March 31, 2008.