well, this is a song i definitely didn’t expect to review this week.
in case you don’t know, the b-52’s are a band from athens, georgia, named after a bomber plane. the most famous lineup consisted of fred schneider (vocals), kate pierson (vocals/keyboards), cindy wilson (vocals), ricky wilson (guitar), and keith strickland (many instruments). the band has consisted mostly of four members since the unfortunate passing of ricky wilson in 1985. the b-52’s are a wacky band, known best for their flamboyant aesthetic and their unique, eclectic style. if you want a glimpse of how wacky they are, just take the titles of a few of their most well-known hits: “Rock Lobster”, “Whammy Kiss”.
“Love Shack” is one of their hits, from their 1989 album cosmic thing. the instrumentation is explosive, with blaring trumpets and keyboards and drums, but the main focus is on the dual vocal interplay of fred schneider and kate pierson/cindy wilson as they describe the titular ‘love shack’, a weird, run-down, but fun club in the middle of nowhere for… loving. it’s helped by the faint voices and conversation that run in the background, which gives it a sense of place. schneider’s expressive, hyperbolic spoken-word vocals command attention like a circus ringleader, and he especially does a good job complimenting the hooky harmony of pierson and wilson. it’s a fun, call-and-response approach that stays engaging for the whole five-and-a-half minutes. the song is accessible, but of course, the b-52’s don’t shy away from being weird. the best part is when cindy wilson randomly screams “TIN ROOF” as the instruments pause. why? i have no idea.
is this the kind of thing staying in my rotation? probably not, i’m a sucker for instrument-driven music. but for what it is, a silly new wave hit, it does a delightful job at being instantly catchy without compromising a tongue-in-cheek absurdity.
