B52s
The Funplex
4 scoops of Bosco
By Allen Bacon
Editor
Bosco
It may be hard to believe, but it has been sixteen years since a totally new original album by the Athens, Georgia-based band B52's. Save for a couple new songs on compilation CD's, Fred Schneider, Kate Piersen, Keith Strickland, and Cindy Wilson have been pretty quiet and off doing other things in the past two decades. That is until a few weeks ago when the group released the Funplex album.
This is the second big group from Athens, GA that has emerged with a new album this year. A few weeks ago, REM released their first album in four years and their best in a couple of decades. (See Bosco review this month). Now it's the B52's turn.
As a side note, I could never understand the reason that this band was categorized as a New Wave group. New Wave, to me , refers to the wave of groups that emerged from overseas in the 80's and well, the B52's are purely an American institution down to the Fred Schneider spoken-word Southern twang.
It's hard to do a serious review of anything B52's. That's because the eleven tracks are intended to be fun and danceble and not to be taken seriously. I was too busy dancing and smiling from this album anyway to do a serious review.
The ladies of the B52's sound better than ever on this album. Piersen and Wilson seem to get better with age and this album is very reminiscent of the early 80's incarnation of the band although the sound has been updated. Produced wonderfully by Steve Osborne who has produced the likes of New Order, this album pops, weaves and bops and is a joy to listen and dance to.
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