Bridging the gap between Synth Britannia and Acid House, PET SHOP BOYS first found international success with ‘West End Girls’ in 1986. They cleverly combined cool aloofness with pop stardom and achieved 4 UK No1 singles; they were only denied a fifth with their 1993 cover of THE VILLAGE PEOPLE’s ‘Go West’ by Will Smith! Preferring to “dance to disco” because they “don’t like rock”, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe also changed the whole concept of concert presentation in 1991 by removing from the stage, that one consistent element in the history of rock ‘n’ roll…the live musician!
Since their imperial phase, they have shown their versatility in projects ranging from producing other artists and running their own label to assorted theatre, film and ballet commissions. Becoming the esteemed funny uncles of the British music scene, they have managed to acquire the sort of public recognition that has been denied to Depeche Mode. Although both can count a Brit Award for Best Single on their mantelpieces, it would appear publicly in the UK at least that PET SHOP BOYS are held in greater affection. With a Brits Outstanding Contribution to Music Award in 2009 and an invitation to appear in the 2012 London Olympics Closing Ceremony alongside Ray Davies, PET SHOP BOYS can now be regarded as quintessentially English as much as THE KINKS.
And now the elder statesmen of danceable synthpop are “back-back-BACK” (as Tennant used to put it when he was deputy editor of Smash Hits). It’s sooner than expected too following last year’s underwhelming ‘Elysium’ album. In hindsight, that now appears to have been a contract breaker ending their 27 year partnership with EMI. And with the sudden arrival of ‘Electric’ which is released on their own label x2, it’s as if Neil and Chris got bored in LA halfway through making ‘Elysium’ and decamped back to Europe to make something “pretty banging” with producer Stuart Price.
So here we are now, PET SHOP BOYS… Electronically! ‘Electric’ certainly harks back to their more dance based remix collections like the ‘Disco’ trilogy, but also via their lengthier song constituents, the albums ‘Introspective’ and ‘Relentless’. Laced with House, Italo and Eurotrance references, it fuses vintage synths and drum machine programming with modern computerised techniques. It takes a few risks too with the opening track and launch single ‘Axis’ being virtually instrumental. It’s a marvellous taste of what is to come as it re-imagines Bobby Orlando in the 22nd Century. ‘Bolshy’ continues the edgier approach with piano stabs and tangy electronics over a rhythm section that’s the dog’s Balearics.
The brilliantly titled ‘Love Is A Bourgeois Construct’ though is more classically euphoric in that Hi-NRG fashion and recalls ‘I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing’ albeit stretched to 12 inch format. But then comes the hypnotic ‘Fluorescent’, basically a wonderful dancefloor makeover of ‘Fade To Grey’ with the chilling Polymoog string preset from Visage’s original remaining in the mix while waves of synth sirens attack it like a Martian invasion.
A return to harder percussive electro comes in the shape of ‘Inside A Dream’ before a Bruce Springsteen cover ‘The Last To Die’! In the tradition of Tennant and Lowe’s camped out reworkings of U2 and COLDPLAY, the rockist nature of the original is neutered but the sense of irony is strangely missing from this disappointing reworking of The Boss. It all snaps back though as ‘Thursday’ re-explores the New York club scene with the distinctive squelch of a TB303. Capturing the vibrant excitement of what is now the new Friday, Lowe deadpans the four days of the long weekend alongside Brit Award winning rapper Example who chips in with his Fulham exempli gratia.
The slightly berserk ‘Shouting In The Evening’ takes an uncomprising romp into “banging” techno with a number of manipulated voices and faulty vacuum cleaners thrown in for good measure before the comparatively conventional ‘Vocal’. With the vivid sentiment “I like the singer, he’s lonely and strange – every track has a vocal…and that makes a change”, the album closer’s ironic narrative almost gets lost in the blistering sawtooth war but it is fun and exhilarating. It’s a befitting conclusion of what this album is about; ‘Electric’ by name and electric by nature.
‘Electric’
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Text by Chi Ming Lai
13th July 2013
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