Awaiting the release of a new Pet Shop Boys album is always
a difficult time. Are they going to dress up in silly outfits or grow their
hair long and scowl in shades? Is the music a series of electro classics or is
it a guitar driven dirge? So many questions to be answered.
With Elysium due to be released next month I was on tenterhooks
until I heard it. Now I have listened to it a few times, I will pass my
considered opinion. I will start by saying I hope this new album grows on me; a
classic slow burner. The first impressions haven’t been good. The Andrew Dawson
production seems to drag the sound of the album down and can hardly be
considered fresh in the same way as its predecessor “Yes”. The whole album is very
‘down tempo’ and brooding: a pop tour de force it is not.
The opener “Leaving” is as upbeat and “pop” as this album
gets, and thus becomes the logical choice for their second single cut. “Invisible”
sounds out of place as the second track and kills any atmosphere the opening track
may have created. Don’t get me wrong, I like the song very much, it is just in
the wrong place in the running order. Next comes the first single “Winner” with
the fun of “Your Early Stuff” close on its heels. Here Neil treats us to
snippets of the acerbic comments he has (presumably) received in recent years in
the same way as he did with “Yesterday, When I Was Mad” in 1993. Not a new idea
admittedly but entertaining none the less.
“Face Like That” sees Neil complimenting the looks of an unknown
individual whilst Chris turns his synths back to the sounds they used in 1988 (and
that is a very good thing). This track is the logical opener for the album but,
in this crazy running order, it is lost at number 5. “Breathing Space” is one
of those sweeping, orchestral tracks that highlights what outstanding
songwriters Messers Tennent and Lowe are, whilst “Ego Music” and “Hold On” do
everything they can to undermine this statement. Here the album loses its way
and the quality of both the production and the song writing takes a sharp
downward turn. “Hold On” starts well enough but soon turns into a toe curling
pastiche of the worst musical you have ever heard. “Memory of the Future”
tries to return us to electronica nirvana, but the memory of
the previous three tracks is just too much for it to overcome. “Everything Means Something”
is intricate and sounds like it should have been sung by Elbow: not a natural
fit for the Pet Shop Boys. However, “Requiem in Denim and Leopardskin” is as
natural a fit as is possible for Neil and Chris, but not a logical end to the
album for me.
To make a version of “Elysium” better for me, I would chop
out “Ego Music” and “Hold On”. I would then take the tracks in the
order of
- Face Like That
- Winner
- Leaving
- Your Early Stuff
- Requiem in Denim and Leopardskin
- Memory of the Future
- Invisible
- Everything Means Something
- Give it a Go
- Breathing Space
But what do I know?
I just hope it grows on me and that I can begin to cope with
“Hold On” in the same way as I do “Happiness is an Option” and “Release” et al.
