Album Review: Pet Shop Boys - Electric

Pet Shop Boys
Electric
Rating: Woof Daddy

Last year's record from the Pet Shop Boys, Elysium, their final record for longtime label Parlaphone, felt like a death knell for the venerable pop duo. Full of lyrics about fading away and aging, the dour atmosphere of the record was a far cry from their more upbeat and fun records. So it was a surprise when they announced the quick follow up to that record, Electric. Promised as a return to their dance roots, the boys enlisted the help of producer Stuart Price (Madonna, Killers) who knows his way around a dancefloor. Over these 9 club friendly tracks, Electric pulses and swoons with dark beats and majestic synths, harking back to their glorious dancefloor masterpiece Introspective. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe seem incredibly inspired this go around, turning out their best record since Very, and while it is not as eclectic, its sleek and consistent tone more than atone for it.

Anticipation was high for the record back when they released the teaser track "Axis" a driving dance track full of rising beds of synth washes and keyboard melodies over a thumping base of beats and vocodered vocals.



And finally this anticipation was more than warranted as the record takes off from this track and never hits a low point. Highlights are many and plenty, from the dark, sinister electro of "Fluorescent" with its claustrophobic beats and weird, wonky electronics,



pop perfection of fun single "Thursday,"



or brilliant closing single "Vocal" which might be one of their best tracks ever, a gorgeous anthem that should fill dancefloors all year long.



Of course, this wouldn't be a PSB album without some wry commentary and arch tone. The "Left to My Own Devices" winking track "Love Is A Bourgeois Construct" features some of Tennant's most acerbic lyrics like "I'll explore the outer limits of boredom/Moaning periodically," while bouncing along to a sample from Michael Nyman's main theme from Peter Greenaway's film The Draughtsman's Contract.



And again they come up with another brilliant cover along the lines of "Always On My Mind" or "Where The Streets Have No Name" taking on Bruce Springsteen's "The Last To Die," turning the focus from a broader view of post-Iraq futility to a more intimate, suffocating view of post-breakup relationships.



Electric is not necessarily a return to form for PSB, as they really have never put out a horrible record in the past few years. While Elysium was a bit of a disappointment, it was not an embarrassment by any stretch of the imagination. Sometimes it takes looking back at one's strengths and working off that base to return to what works best. Electric is neither a rehash of old glories nor a venture off into modern dance music, and for that I am thankful. It is simply the Pet Shop Boys putting out their best record years, showing that they still have love and affection for what they do, and for what they do well.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Album Review: Pet Shop Boys - Elysium

Pet Shop Boys
Elysium
Rating: Meh

Nearing 30 years in the recording industry and releasing their 11th studio record Elysium, legendary synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys are entering the twilight of their career. Never ones to really push the envelope of their sound, throughout their career PSB stayed basically in the wake of current electronic music trends, and since 2002's Release, have basically abandoned any pretense of remaining current and entered a stage of being wry elder statesmen, releasing decidedly "adult" pop music. Any PSB album lives and dies on Neil Tennant's lyrics, their least successful records (Bilingual and Fundamental) unfocused and scattered, never really showing Tennant's devilish wit and jaded social commentary. 2009's Yes was a remarkable return to form, showcasing Tennant's best set of songs since their masterpiece Very, and had me hopeful for a late period Renaissance for the duo. Which makes their latest album such a disappointment. Elysium is not a disaster, but it certainly will be considered a very minor PSB work.

Initially, Elysium struck me as comparable to their adult contemporary album Release, and I settled in for a set of mature, expertly written pop songs. "Leaving" hits all the right marks for PSB, nice melody, twinkling synths and swooning strings. Gorgeous, stately ballad "Invisible" which is a haunting commentary about growing older and trying to remain in the spotlight.



Single "Winner" just feels like another classic PSB track, featuring a soaring melody and rousing chorus.



The album as a whole appears to be a commentary on growing older and the perceptions and effects it has on an artist and as a person in general. "Your Early Stuff" could possibly be a reaction to reviews like this where there is always going to be a comparison to their earlier material. "Requiem In Denim And Leopardskin" a critique of artists who stay too long at the party and become a parody of themselves, with lyrics like "This is our last chance for goodbye/Let the music begin/Shining and souring like a requiem/In denim and leopardskin."

And while these songs have a discrete charm, overall, the songwriting seems very lackluster and rather phoned in. And while most PSB records' music is never anything to write home about, here it often appears cheesy and half-assed. "Requiem" feels like it's built from store bought Yamaha keyboard presets, and a by-the-numbers disco handbook. "Ego Music" is cringe-worthy both lyrically and with its very standard synthpop stylings, "Hold On" is meant to be a stirring anthem, but merely comes across as a bland, high school musical number, and "Give It A Go" sounds like one of their throwaways for Liza Minnelli.

Towards the end of the record, there is slight redemption with two tracks. The bittersweet reflections of "Memory of the Future," with aching lyrics like "Over and over again/I keep tasting that sweet memory/Looking back of my life now I'm in/Asking if not later then when;" and the dark, brooding synths of "Everything Means Something" is a stark contrast to the rest of the fluffy production work elsewhere on the album, which more of would have been a welcome contrast.

Ultimately, Elysium is a rather disappointing follow up to the charming Yes. Produced by Andrew Dawson, who has worked with Kanye West, I was expecting a more modern, fresh approach for PSB, and was shocked at how the album is buffed to an almost irritating sheen. Based on the themes of the record, I am almost saddened to have to mention that Elysium just doesn't match their earlier material, and while it doesn't tarnish their reputation in any way, it certainly does nothing to extend it.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.