Collegiate Times

Tom's Take

It's difficult for me to think about the Pet Shop Boys in a contemporary context. With the resurgence of a synthesizer-drenched pop environment, however, it's only natural that this is when the band would stage the release of its new album, "Yes."

The disco-beat magic the group is remembered for is still here in a big way, but it lacks the heaviness featured so prominently in songs such as "West End Girls" and "What Have I Done to Deserve This?"

This lack of a sound might not bother the Boys' more die-hard fans but will definitely be noted by new listeners. Instead of the pop hooks being grounded, in the lead single "Love, Etc." the music feels featherweight, as if you could turn it off and not notice a thing. Similar to elevator music but probably constructed with a dance floor in mind; I can't really see hipsters getting down to this.

What they lack in thematic complexity is easily forgettable when the band hits its stride, though. The antithesis to "Love, Etc.," "More Than a Dream" hits all the right notes, and it will probably bring the listener back to a dance floor they've never been on. The song is an example of how much the group can get right when they hone in on a certain sound: '80s club music.

I found the time of this release to be especially worth consideration. Depeche Mode just released their new album a couple of weeks back, and along with the Pet Shop Boys we seem to be having a massive resurgence in the late '80s/early '90s synthesizer-powered pop. How has this all changed in the 2009 context? The curious thing is that it really has not; fuzzy synth dance music that was good yesteryear is still good today, but demonstrates a disappointing lack of evolution.

Don't let this deter you from either record, though, if you are a fan of the aforementioned type of music. My bone to pick as a critic, however, is that both the Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode aren't maturing with the times; they're just taking the same approach as they always have. What I was looking for in the record was progressive motion, and I didn't manage to find any.

Maybe they're just playing to the same audience they always have. Maybe they're just doing it for the retirement fund. Whatever the reasoning behind the record is, it didn't leave me with much sense of musical satisfaction, and I don't think it will for many others ... unless "Love Comes Quickly" sends you back to the days of Day-Glo clubs in London.

GRADE: C

Continue Reading:  « Previous12