THE B-52'S

'Funplex'

This post is several days overdue, but work has been kicking me in the nuts this week. All the more reason to have some fun and review the first full-fledged B-52's album in 16 years. So, i'm happy to report that 'Funplex' offers up plenty in said fun department...unabashed, (sometimes painfully) goofy, fun.

The B-52's have always been a party band first and foremost, dishing out heaping helpings of rock music you can dance to. My only complaint w/ this offering, is that it has numerous moments of being more of a case of dance music you can rock to. Don't get me wrong, I like to dance just as much as I like to 'rock' and vice versa. It's just that there are a few songs, where it seems the band is making a conscious effort to update their sound w/ an infusion of modern electronic disco-flavored flourishes that come off more calculated than something interesting. More simply put, some songs are just too damn dancey for my blood...more watered-down 'Girl From Ipanema Goes to Greenland' than 'Hot Lava'.

That said, for every 'Juliet of Spirits' or 'Eyes Wide Open' there is another tune that approach works out w/ stellar results. The opening track 'Pump' reminds me of a shinier version of My Life w/ the Thrill Kill Kult's 'Sex on Wheels'...'Love in the Year 3000' is too fun to let the drum machine driven tempo and lack of guitar bother me...the title track is the perfect mix of new and old. Then when you add in the more familiar, trademark new-wave surf tracks like 'Hot Corner', 'Ultraviolet and 'Keep This Party Going'...while never reaching levels of 'Planet Claire' or 'My Own Private Idaho'...end up making an album completely enjoyable in totality.

If your idea of a good time consists of any combination of playful sex, beehive hairdos, peace signs, space travel or 'taco tiki huts' AND you can handle significant doses of Fred Schneider squawking about 'stokin' and a strokin'...I suggest giving this one a spin. I don't know for how long, but you can stream the whole thing for free at AOL Music HERE or just go and buy it (it was just released today).

C'mon, 'dance the jellybone' at the 'electric luau' and have some fun(plex)...it's been too long and you've earned it.