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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
World weary synth duo spins another yarn of fantastic art pop, 19 May 2006
Fundamental could have easily been called Political as it contains some of the most overt politically charged songs of the Pet Shop Boys career. But while the obvious political allusions have been much discussed by the boys themselves, this album delves much further into age, world weariness, and fantastic elctro-pop.
The mood starts somber and rarely breaks. Psychological is a mid tempo number that lacks the anthemic over the top fare that usually thrusts listerners in. The lyrics describe simple observations of paranoia in a subtle low key affair, completely at home in an album that doesn't seem at all happy with the world it inhabits.
And this is the case in other low key tracks like I Made My Excuses And Left, a tale of regret, Twentieth Century, and Indefinite Leave to Remain, which could be the best metaphor I've ever heard in a love song. Even the Diane Warren penned track Numb, lamenting on the burdens of the world, is at home here.
The politics come into play be it in a subtle way in many of the aforementions songs, or more overtly in the album's lead single I'm With Stupid, a humorous take on Prime Minister Tony Blair's 'love affair' with U.S. President Bush, and the show stopping up tempo album closer, Integral, where Neil asserts his opinion about ID Cards through a Big Brother-esque lyrical rant.
The boys find time for humor, especially in Casanova in Hell, where a much older Casanova finds it harder to woo young women and has to be the only song that can rhyme the word erection in a tasteful, comedica way. The Sodom and Gomorah show, another up-tempo number, seems laced with typical PSB irony inviting listners to take part in a show that has everything the namesake cities offer.
The album only falters on two of its tracks - Luna Park, a close cousin to PSB's own Calm Before the Storm, the song never takes off and lacks any definable melody or lyrics that make PSB songs so memorable. Similarly, Twentieth Century, another world weary song, tries to imitate PSB of years gone by, sounding like a second rate Behaviour track. Not bad, but not very original. The album, as a whole, compensates for a couple clunkers. PSB prove they can still spin of the most sophisticated dance-pop around.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Pet Shop Boys, Fundamentally., 9 Jun 2006
When the last Pet Shop Boys CD arrived on the scene, many music journalists hailed it as their "return to form". Now, where have we heard that before? And how many times have you agreed? It strikes me that music journalists can't face it that some bands will frankly never return to their heyday. A classic example was REM. Reveal was widely touted as their "return to form". Good album it may have been, but it was no Automatic For The People by a long shot. The same syndrome applied to Release by the Pet Shop Boys. The only problem is the critics were exactly one album too early. For critics to write off a band with a pedigree such as the Pet Shop Boys' to a below par album as "Release" being a Return To Form is insulting.
They could be forgiven. Who in their right minds could have predicted an album of such calibre as Fundamental to come along? How many bands can honestly say that after 18 years in the business, they can still produce an album to rival their very best? Very few. And in my honest opinion, not even the mighty REM. But the Pet Shop Boys have pulled it off. Big time.
Fundamental, as well as being an obvious pun on many of themes of the album, also sums up the musicality of this CD. This is the culmination of almost two decades' work. There's the gentle, confident melancholy of Behaviour, the gay electronic abandon of Very and melodic playfulness of Please. This album is Fundamentally the Pet Shop Boys more than any other they have produced.
Speaking of production, it's this album's key strength. The production on pretty much every album they've produced since Very has been its let down. Uneven production on Release massacred some fine work, turning in particular the likes of Home into a dirge of Death Valley level dryness. Let's not even mention Birthday Boy, eh? Pairing up with Trevor Horn again on the new album is nothing short of inspired. Every song sparkles and glistens with freshness without being overly 'showy' or cerebral.
The synth-laden opening of the fantastic The Sodom And Gomorrah Show and its insanely catchy chorus are reminiscent of Shameless and Yesterday, When I Was Mad, in other words; quintessentially PSB, but with a modern shine that makes your ears prick up and take notice. The thumping electric bassline of I'm With Stupid takes a song which maybe, in raw terms, isn't PSB's best and highlights all its best qualities so what we're left with is a classic. So, slightly different from the recent past when a great song had its life sucked out by bland production.
The slower songs are nothing short of breathtaking in places too. Luna Park glows like a twilight paradise. Here, the songwriting is undoubtedly one of PSB's finest. This, coupled with the exemplary production present on the whole tracklist and some wonderful harmonies, creates a song which shouldn't fail to send a tingle down the spine of any listener.
The additional CD is well worth the additional cost. Unlike most remix CDs, this plays like a definite Fundamental Part 2. The remixers' respect for the source material means that the remixed album material highlights the strength of the melodies, particularly on the two The Sodom And Gomorrah Show mixes, whereas the wonderfully camp duet with Elton John on the PSB-penned In Private (Remember Dusty anyone?) injects a fantastic element of fun into the proceedings.
What can I say? It's been a long time since I've been this excited by a CD, and even longer since it bore the name Pet Shop Boys, but all those journalists who touted Release as their 'return to form' should next time wait until it's actually true, rather than trying to get the jump on their peers by being first to say it. They were one album too early last time.
If I'm also one album too early, then I'm going to be even more delighted.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So much quality on one little disc!, 3 Jul 2006
PSB perfection is back. An absolutely splendid album which seems to combine the best areas of Behaviour, Very, Please and Actually.
There's some echos of Introspective in there too - something for everyone, PSB fans or not.
'I made my excuses and left' is probably the most beautiful song ever written, and without a doubt 'God willing' is simply the finest chord sequence ever written, anywhere, by anyone, using anything.
Superb, unputdownable and Trevor Horn's production is an audiophile's dream.
Get it.
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