Live videos of new B-52’s songs have been popping up on YouTube for months, with Fred Schneider’s usual over-emulating voice mega-compressed to muddled gobbledy-gook. But, even if they were pure-quality files, the tunes likely still wouldn’t be tired by February 28 – the day Astralwerks releases the band’s first album in 16 years, Funplex. Valentine's Day house parties should be pushed back two weeks for appropriate music’s sake, because guitarist Keith Strickland describes the record as “loud, sexy rock and roll for your pleasure zones, with the beat pumped up to hot pink."
Produced by Steve Osborne (New Order, Happy Mondays, Doves, KT Tunstall), Funplex has a tracklist that predicts usual B-52's fare, with futuristic references (“Love in the Year 3000”), dance-jam encouragement (“Keep This Party Going”) and nods to popular hangouts in hometown Athens (“Hot Corner”). The band has been touring the songs all year, and will play a Funplex preview at NYC’s Roseland ballroom on Halloween and L.A.’s Roxy on Nov. 16.
Funplex track list:
1. Pump
2. Hot Corner
3. Ultraviolet
4. Juliet Of The Spirits
5. Funplex
6. Eyes Wide Open
7. Love In The Year 3000
8. Deviant Ingredient
9. Too Much To Think About
10. Dancing Now
11. Keep This Party Going
Related links:
TheB-52s.com
B-52's on MySpace
Astralwerks.com
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