Fatboy Slim – Palookaville – Review

fatboyslim200Fatboy Slim

Palookaville (Astralwerks)
by Lex Marburger

Hey, have you heard the new Fatboy Slim album yet? No? Well, turn on your TV, I’m sure one of his songs is playing in at least one of the new car commercials. Yeah, He of the “Rockafeller Skank” is back, and Palookaville is pretty much the same kind of album that he released four years ago. Oh, people might tell you that this time is different, cuz he got actual real-live musicians to play with him. You might hear hype that he picked up his bass for the first time since the Housemartins, but don’t let ’em fool ya… Palookaville is pretty predictable for a Fatboy album.

fatboyslimphotoOf course, that’s not all bad, if you like the catchy beats and not-a-care-in-the-world attitude that Dear ol’ Norman spits out. In fact, some of the songs are pretty good, like his duet with Johnny Quality, “Long Way From Home,” or the almost-Gospel of “Put it Back Together” with 2D from Gorillaz (oh, wait, nevermind, it’s Damon Albarn). And for a song that’s pretty funny the first few times but then runs out of steam so thank God it’s the last track, there’s a collaboration with Bootsy Collins, a cover of Steve Miller’s “The Joker.” And, of course, there’s the ever-so-repetitive section of the album, the annoying “Slash Dot Dash” and the tedious “Jin-Go-Lo-Ba.” Pass the X.
(www.astralwerks.com)