The cover of 2006's FUNDAMENTAL, the Pet Shop Boys' first studio outing since '02's RELEASE (not counting their BATTLESHIP POMTEMKIN project), is strikingly stark--seemingly solid black save for the band name and album title--though a closer look reveals the subtle images of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe's faces. Any suggestions of anonymity or reinvention, however, are quickly jettisoned by the songs, which are very obviously the work of the British duo. Tennant's distinctively plaintive vocals and Lowe's soaring synth lines here recall their prototypical sound more than almost anything since the late 1980s. This is, at least in part, due to the group's reunion with dance-pop uber-producer Trevor Horn, who gives each track on FUNDAMENTAL a lustrous sheen, whether it's the surging club-ready tune "Minimal," the willfully melodramatic ballad "Numb," or the funky and fiercely political "I'm with Stupid" (a harsh criticism of Tony Blair and George W. Bush). A record that hints at past Pet Shop glories while remaining remarkably contemporary, FUNDMENTAL is synth-pop at its most irresistible.
Recording information: Sarm West Studios, London, England.
Photographer: John Ross .
Personnel: Trevor Horn (vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass guitar); Oliver Poulot (vocals); Phil Palmer (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Lalo Creme (guitar, acoustic guitar); Steve Lipson (guitar, electric guitar); Tim Pierce (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Lucinda Barry (harp, background vocals); Skaila Kanga (harp); David Clayton (keyboards, programming); Jamie Muhoberac, Simon Chamberlain, Pete Murray (keyboards); Earl Harvin (vibraphone, marimba, drums, electronic drums); Virgil Howe (drums, percussion); Cliff Hewitt (electronic drums); Robert Orton (shaker); Frank Ricotti, Louis Jardim (percussion); Pete Gleadall (programming); Laura Edwards, Emma Brain-Gabbott, Alanna Tavernier, Andy Caine, Tessa Niles, Sarah Eyden, Helen Parker, Debbie Doss, Bruce Woolley (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Robert Orton; Tim Weider.
Spin (p.83) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "FUNDAMENTAL uses squelchy electro-disco grooves that smuggle sly pop-culture commentary." Entertainment Weekly (p.161) - "[The] CD finds the synth-pop pioneers still in fine form....[With] immaculate arrangements, which balance orchestral pomp with au courant club grooves." -- Grade: B+ Q (p.118) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]heir ninth album balances social comment you can dance to, dramatically melancholy ballads and Tennant's always sanguine musings on the pros and cons of hedonism." Q (p.123) - Ranked #23 in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums of 2006" -- "Songwriting-wise they seemed to have rediscovered their sharpness."
A Little Melancholy... It took awhile to grow on me but it finally did! Disc 1 is a little more melancholy than what I like (NUMB, I MADE MY EXCUSES AND LEFT, LUNA PARK, CASANOVA IN HELL, INDEFINITE LEAVE TO REMAIN) although the orchestration is lovely on these tracks. Classic sounding PSB tracks include: PSYCHOLOGICAL, MINIMAL and TWENTIETH CENTURY. Disc 2 (remixes) is somewhat lackluster. FLAMBOYANT and MINIMAL are in heavy rotation on my player. However, this disc is saved by the awesome IN PRIVATE (duet with Elton John). Pure PSB from start to finish! It's too bad IN PRIVATE clocks in at just under 5 minutes. It's needs to be much longer. B+. Submitted by brian.thompson (New York, NY, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo This review is for a different format.
Pet Shop Boys are back! This new release from the Pet Shop Boys is good, get it if you enjoyed 'Behavior' & 'Release' as most of the songs are similiar to the ones on those albums. Submitted by jpgeng23 (Albuquerque, NM) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo This review is for a different format.
Pet Shop Boys are back It's a good cd especially with a limited mixes disc but it is not as innovative as their albums from the 90s. The same ideas are just replicated in slightly different form. Overall, it's a good cd and I definitely recommend it. Submitted by marcopolo88 (Secaucus, NJ, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo This review is for a different format.
Return To Form Easily their strongest album since Behaviour(1990). Slick production,lyrics and arrangements thanks to Trevor Horn,Neil and Chris always come up with something worthwhile. Submitted by Mario (San Francisco,Ca,USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo This review is for a different format.
A Little Melancholy...
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