By the time "Elysium" was released in 2012, the Pet Shop Boys had cemented their place at pop's top table and had earned the freedom to do whatever they wanted. What they chose to do was transplant themselves to Los Angeles and record with producer Andrew Dawson - whom they admired due to his work on a Kanye West record.
There's a line in my original review of this album twelve years ago that summaries the resulting album as: "very downtempo and brooding: a pop tour de force it is not." I then seem to have spent most of my time moaning about the running order whilst adding some faint praise for the songs themselves. My view has changed somewhat since these initial ramblings as I couldn't care less about the running order and I find less to like in the compositions today. There's no doubt this album was a big step backwards from its predecessor "Yes".
I do like four of the tracks on this album, which conversely means I have little regard for three quarters of it. I have particular disdain for the diabolical trio of "Ego Music", "Hold On" and "Give It A Go" which are amongst the worst things Neil and Chris have ever released. The monotonous beat and repetitive chorus of "Leaving" doesn't appeal to me and "Invisible" is the auditory equivalent of wading through treacle.
The only outstanding track that I play often is "Breathing Space" and the single "Memory of the Future" comes a close second. Another good song is "A Face Like That" but its production is muddy and I can't help but wonder what a more experienced producer would have made of it. Some people have little time for the closing track "Requiem in Denim and Leopard Skin" but I love it. Some of Neil's best lyrics seem to emerge when he tackles the subject of death.
I own the original vinyl which comes with a second disc of instrumentals and the 2017 remastered version (heavier colour saturation on sleeve) which is a single 180g disc. Not something I play very often. 2.5/5
