The new Fatboy Slim was supposed to be one of the big dance releases of last year, but it did not fare nearly as well commercially as one would have thought. Many have blamed this on the broader downward spiral in international dance-music sales; it does not seem to have much to do with what’s on the album.
Norman Cook’s Palookaville (Sony) is a dashing and creative collection of big beats, right up the classic Fatboy Slim alley. Opener Don’t Let the Man Get You Down has a scratchy, folky feel with the 5 Man Electric Band sample “And the sign said, long-haired freaky people need not apply” lending it a quirky but captivating nature.
From there, Cook runs right into the excellent, driving beats of Slash Dot Dash, which would even make the aforementioned freaky people tap their feet. Whether it’s the upbeat swing mood of Wonderful Night, the lazy guitars jostling with the rhythms on Long Way from Home (which sounds remarkably like something Beck would have released), the laid-back Mi Bebé Masoquista or the trippy rap of Jin Go Lo Ba, each track has a unique sound, beat or sample — even though some of them probably didn’t take all that long to throw together.
So, Palookaville is enjoyable, but Cook should be wary of rehashing his past successes with a new sample and beat or two. The dance world has moved on, as his sales have shown; so should his sound.