The B-52's - 'Funplex' (EMI) Released 14/04/08

1979 was quite a year in the history of America. Amidst the ongoing Cold War, so called space race and the ‘Three Mile Island’ nuclear power disaster, the global pop scene was at its most paranoid but also somehow positively vibrant. Buggles released ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’, the all conquering Blondie dispatched ‘Heart of Glass’ and it was seemingly a fine time to be in a new wave rock band.

This was also the year when The B-52’s released their epononymous debut album, a near perfect collection of intelligent pop missiles propelled by the sugar rush vocals and bee hive hair-do of Kate Pierson. Featuring such gems as ‘Rock Lobster’ that still sound great at any Indie disco that you care to mention, their kitsch aesthetics and abundance of superb hooks and harmonies established them as a major force in the pop race. This was long before the mainstream success of ‘Love Shack’ and the Flintstones soundtrack, which we won’t dwell on so much for obvious reasons. 

Fast forward to 2008 and much has changed in the world but very little seems to have impacted upon the reunited B-52’s, now joining everyone else on the comeback trail. It takes approximately 7 seconds of the opening ‘Pump’ to realise that we’re in a familiar fairground and by the time that Fred Schneider comes in with his half-spoken ruffing and a puffing quirky vocal stylings we’re in the grip of a powerful nostalgia, images of space invaders and home video flashing before our eyes like an insistent strobe light.

So, we must ask: What is the relevance of these party rock pioneers to today’s attention deficit syndrome pop kids?

Well, the title track of ‘Funplex’ has the strange quality of middle aged pop luminaries encapsulating an adolescent irreverance and as a result sounds very contemporary, like Lcd Soundsystem without the sense of studied cool and an emphasis on COMPLETE FUN. ‘Love In The Year 3000’ takes this a step further, documenting “A galactic love in future time” using playful synths, vocoders and a killer chorus to create a club track that could floor the best of the young rave pretenders, albeit on points rather than knockout.   

However, it also misfires on several tracks. The problem is that you can’t shake the feeling that you’re witnessing a guilty pleasures style disco, a journey through time that may be fun for a night out but in terms of longevity leaves you feeling a little jaded and old the morning after. They are in a hermetically sealed time capsule and it ultimately fails to hold your attention. Schnieder declaring that he is a “Fully eroticised human being” on ‘Deviant Ingrediant’ is hilarious but the intention to ‘Keep This Party Going’ on the final track sounds unconvincing. Sure, you can dance this mess around for a while but it never truly lives up to the high standard of their multi-coloured legacy, the rock lobster magically transforming into an albatross from the moment that we press play.