The Pet Shop Boys and I have an interesting history. I wasn’t a fan of them in the ‘80s-- really the only time they were popular in the US with hits like “West End Girls” and “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” My introduction to the band came in 1995 during college freshman year when a friend loaned me their brilliant 1993 gay/dance album, Very. Instantly it was one of my favorites and I declared them my favorite musical act for a few years (sorry Madonna). I sought out their back catalogue, conveniently collected in Discography, their first singles collection. Then Bilingual came out in 1996, and although the Latin-flavored disc was not as good as Very, It was still pretty good, and I was happy to be a fan of something current from them.
Things went downhill from there. 1999’s campy Nightlife had some great moments, but was uneven. Then 2002’s Release was a real letdown, which I barely listened to. It was the nail in the coffin for my fandome with the boys. Gone they were from my “ten best” lists, and of course, I completely ignored their ridiculous Battleship Potemkin “soundtrack.”
I’m happy to report the group is back on track with Fundamental, a moody synth-driven collection that takes the Pet Shop Boys back to their ‘80s roots. “Psychological,” a dark brooding track plods along, at first seemingly fine but not thrilling, until you get about halfway through the song. Then the song takes a break before erupting with strong synth chords at the end. The deep bass beat is reminiscent of Depeche Mode, another ‘80s synth group enjoying a resurrection and revisitation of their roots with their recent album.
From there, things get campy with “The Sodom and Gomorrah Show,” which opens with a heartbeat, carnival noise, “sun, sex, sin, divine intervention, death, and destruction.” It’s an enjoyable romp of a song, and sounds like it could have been a Very single B-side. “I Made My Excuses and Left” is a melodramatic tale of finding one’s man with another man, and thus feeling like a “supplicant” i.e. someone replaced. Is it meant to be funny? serious? both? Who knows—that’s one of the best aspects of the Pet Shop Boys—their tongue-in-cheek demeanor that manages to also evoke actual emotion while wrapping the story in lovely layers of electronica, a genre often criticized for being emotionally detached. The song’s string bridge is probably the most beautiful moment in any PSB song to date.
Fundamental also visits a few political themes, no stranger to any good PSB disc. “I’m With Stupid,” the album’s first single, is written as a monologue by Tony Blair talking about George W. Bush as if the former has been seduced (literally? Figuratively?) by the latter’s power. Clever and far subtler than Pink’s “Dear Mr. President.” Musically, it’s a great lead-in for the album’s retro back-to-PSB-basics approach.
Other great moments include “Minimal,” the album’s best pure dance track, and as writing this slated to be the second single (good choice!). “Luna Park” is a calm, mysterious number. “Casanova in Hell,” is underscored with ‘80s video game-like sounds, and is lyrically quite creative—it tells the story of Casanova, the famous lover, who in truth can’t “get it up” and is therefore a laughingstock. His solution? Have “the last laugh” Become a famous writer casting himself as the great lover he really isn’t, so that history can remember him for what he wants to be and not what he is. “Indefinite Leave to Remain” appears to be devoid of irony; it’s just a straight-up enjoyable love ballad punctuated with long vocabulary words. Closing track “Integral” instantly comes to life and never calms down. It’s also a political message, spoken in the voice of an unforgiving political machine that, having secured a “mandate” and catalogued all of its citizens with ID codes, marches along eliminating so-called threats to make the world sterile, immaculate, rational, and perfect.
Low points? Yes, there are a few, namely Diane Warren’s tepid ballad “Numb,” which is perhaps trying to make a political statement, but lacks the lyrical depth to express any meaning other than the desire for bliss ignorance. “Indefinite Leave to Remain” appears to be devoid of irony; it’s just a straight-up love ballad punctuated with long vocabulary words. I grow a bit tired of having to look lyrics up in the dictionary. Overall, however, Fundamental is their best album since Very. It sometimes sounds too much like that brilliant collection of 13 years ago that made me first embrace the group, but I’ll let that go, because it works so well. This is classic PSB the way they should be.
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