From www.tommagazine.com.au
THE PET SHOP BOYS
Yes (Parlophone/EMI)
Yes, Pet Shop Boys are back. The Boys aren’t getting any younger, but their brand of synth-pop doesn’t seem to be getting old. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, who make up Pet Shop Boys, picked up a Brit award for Outstanding Contribution to Music at this year’s ceremony. Having sold over 50 million records internationally, and with ten studio records to their name, it’s little wonder.
Yes opens with the lazily upbeat single ‘Love Etc’ that, through its catchy lyrics and infectious optimism, will have you believing in love again. Tennant sings "I believe, call me naive/ love is for free".
Other highlights include ‘More Than a Dream’, equally as optimistic, hypnotising listeners into a state of hopefulness with its anthemic lyrics, "I believe we can change/ we can make it more than a dream". In ‘All Over The World’, the duo sample Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Nutcracker’, creating an epic tribute to pop music, and the effect it has on people.
Whist the majority of the record is brightly nostalgic; there are some tracks that standout for their sobriety, almost overshadowing the up-tempo numbers. ‘Vulnerable’ and ‘King of Rome’ make the most of Tennant’s lingering vocals, creating emotional tension with low-key synth, while ‘Legacy’ is a beautiful slow ballad, with sharp, satirical lyrics, "have you realised/ your computer’s a spy/ give him a ring, he’ll explain why/ the bourgeois will get over it/ look at me, I’m so over it".
By Anna Angel
No comments:
Post a Comment