Pages tagged “b-52s”

The B-52s played their first show at a Valentine's Day party in Athens, Ga. in 1977. The love just kept on pouring in. They released the first of their seven full-length records two years later, continuing on to build a legacy out of rock lobsters, private Idahos, love shacks and cruising through the ionosphere. They paved the way for all the music that’s emerged from their hometown and practically became the textbook definition of eccentric party pop.

Direct Hit
By: Christine Van Dusen

Admit it—fans of avant-garde pop rock owe a debt of gratitude to The B-52’s. The kitschy songs from their first album still hold up almost 30 years later and would be at home on any lo-fi-loving college DJ’s radio playlist. The early songs may lack finesse, but that’s part of their appeal—it’s raw, fun experimentation that makes you want to bop around like the little girl in A Charlie Brown Christmas. And who can forget the slightly overproduced hits that came later, like party anthem “Love Shack”? Their first album in 16 years aims to achieve a similar blend of the edgy, catchy and commercial. And it does just that with “Eyes Wide Open,” which features a synth loop that sounds like the Magical Musical Thing toy of the ’70s, then blossoms with the bright harmonies of Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson. “Pump” has that bendy, grindy guitar of old. There’s some cool whipcrack percussion on “Love in the Year 3000,” one of many songs about outer space. Yes, Fred Schneider’s speak-singing sometimes grates. And some lyrics aren’t just weird, they’re annoying. But really, would this be The B-52’s if they’d reigned themselves in? Their wild abandon has always made them great. So here’s a thought: Let’s all just shut up and dance.

Off Target
By: Rick Flintlock

The early B-52’s were a gleeful paisley hiccup in an alternative world sometimes lacking in humor. While their energy was unflagging, some portion of their charm was inevitably novelty, with the quirk that comes from being a sonic outlier. The shame in Funplex, their first effort in 16 years, is that in an attempt to evolve, they submit to mostly wooden and moderately anachronistic attempts at modernization and lose their better qualities in the process. At its worst (“Love in the Year 3000”), the album comes off as lazy, maybe even sacrilegious. Forced atop sonic beds that don’t really suit the songs, the trademark B-52’s vocal interplay feels sadly formulaic and seldom recaptures the fizzy exuberance of their past work. Funplex never swings, shimmies or threatens a disco whistle. Instead it feels like a studio-centric attempt to approximate current dance music, which is strange, because nothing here feels particularly current. “Juliet of the Spirits” sounds like a techno reworking of an ABBA outtake circa 2002, while the title track is Republica with labored Fred Schneider interruptions. If a reunion was absolutely necessary, The B-52’s would have been better served playing it straight, rather than clumsily chasing these tame geese.

Break out your pink stockings and Aqua Net, because the B-52s are soon heading to a town near you. This year brings the “World’s Greatest Party Band” out to promote Funplex, its first full album of new material in 16 years. The record will be released by Astralwerks on March 25, but the B-52s will be headed out in April for a bunch of club dates.

Here is a preview of what fans can expect on the upcoming tour:

Dates:

April
23- Boston, Mass. @ Paradise Rock Club
25- Philadelphia, Pa. @ TLA
26- Washington, D.C. @ 930 Club
28- Detroit, Mich. @ Clutch Cargo's
29- Cleveland, Ohio @ House of Blues

May
1- Chicago, Ill. @ House of Blues
2- Louisville, Ky. @ Kentucky Derby
4- Englewood, Colo. @ Gothic Theatre
6- Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox
7- Portland, Ore. @ Roseland
8- Dixon, Calif. @ State Fair
9- San Francisco, Calif. @ TBD
11- Anaheim, Calif. @ House of Blues

Related links:
B-52s.com
B-52s on MySpace
Astralwerks.com

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

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

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.