Search - Pet Shop Boys :: Fundamental / Fundamentalism (Arg)

Don't think twice about getting the double disc--combined, y

Daniel W. Kelly | Long Island, NY United States | 06/01/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Considering the opportunity PSB had to really break loose and finally find a home in the new retro/electrohouse genre, I was a bit disappointed with the main disc here. Madonna, Andy Bell, Lasgo, Infernal--they've all released amazing albums that capture the essence of the 80s while still sounding modern. PSB have had dance masterpieces like "It's a Sin" and "So Hard", but all that brilliance seems to have gotten lost in a campy/big broadway show tune feel with their efforts over the last decade.



Things start off promising on FUNDAMENTAL with "psychological", a moody, depeche mode-esque track. Sodom and Gomorrah will quickly grow on you--it almost has a rock/orchestral ELO feel to it. "I Made My Excuses and Left" is slow and boring. "Minimal" is excellent, reminding me of Neil's time with Electronic. "Numb"--well, the title says it all. Boring and slow. "God Willing" is an interlude, running only a minute and 17 seconds. "Luna Park," another slow track! (but better than the others). "I'm With Stupid"--modest dance track, but a good lead off single, if not a little cheesy. "Casanova in Hell"--another slow track. "Twentieth Century", another moody track with a soft electronic synth rhythm. "Indefinite Leave to Remain" is another slow song, with that dramatic show tune feel. A few slow tunes are okay, but PSB can get really monotonous when they slow things down. "Integral"--BRILLIANT way to end the album. A rockin electro house tune with heavy percussion, a throbbing synth bass, and orchestral hits. Now THAT'S the PSB I remember--and of which I wanted more.



The bonus disc has not only remixes from the album, but also tracks drawn from other sources. "Fugitive" as remixed by Richard X is exactly what I expected from the whole FUNDAMENTAL album--an electro/synth/retro dance masterpiece. "Sodom" gets a driving electro mix, but is not really a sing along track. "Psychological" gets a dance mix that is somewhat trippy--not a full fledged club track. "Flamboyant" is really out of place here--this mix sounds dated, like stuff they were releasing five years ago. "I'm With Stupid" is not a particularly catchy mix--the original is much better. This one is too moody. "In Private" is quite a dramatic dance track--and a duet with Elton John!!! A real treasure. "Minimal" should have been left alone--this is a trippy mix. "Gomorrah"--a really painfully slow mix.



So all in all, you get about half and half from each disc--compile the best tracks from both discs together and you'll have the ultimate FUNDAMENTAL release.



P.S.: i must say it's sad that people use this space to attack other reviewers rather than just politely state their opinions about a product. The reviewer who sarcastically called me "genius" should talk--considering my mention of Madonna and Lasgo was put in quotes, yet the words were paraphrased and not at all what I had actually said. I also never said PSB should not have ballads on their albums--but I did say I felt too many of their slow songs get boring. And my guess is the reviewer is uninformed and hasn't even LISTENED to the other artists' albums I mentioned, and just jumps to conclusions about their worth by sarcastically calling them "pop masterpieces."



See...that's how a real genius properly quotes another person...."

Beautiful but not their best, by far

Anthony Morelli | Montreal, Canada | 05/23/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"DISC ONE (FUNDAMENTAL):

01- Psychological - 4:10

02- The Sodom And Gomorrah Show - 5:19

03- I Made My Excuses And Left - 4:53

04- Minimal - 4:20

05- Numb - 4:43

06- God Willing - 1:17

07- Luna Park - 5:31

08- I'm With Stupid - 3:24

09- Casanova In Hell - 3:13

10- Twentieth Century - 4:39

11- Indefinate Leave To Remain - 3:08

12- Integral - 3:53

(DISC ONE TOTAL TIME: 48:05 Min)



DISC TWO (FUNDAMENTALISM):

01- Fugitive (Richard X Extended Mix) - 6:06

02- Sodom (Trentemoller Remix) - 7:24

03- Psychological (Alter Ego Remix) - 7:13

04- Flamboyant (Michael Mayer Kompakt Mix) - 7:57

05- I'm With Stupid (Melnyk Heavy Petting Mix) - 6:07

06- In Private (Stuart Crichton Club Mix) - 5:07

07- Minimal (Lobe Remix) - 4:47

08- Gomorrah (Dettinger Remix) - 5:39

(DISC TWO TOTAL TIME: 50:03 Min)



Packaging/Features:

- Glossy Black Slipcover

- 18-Page Glossy & Vibrant Liner Notes Booklet w/full Lyrics + enlarged vers. of front cover

- Glossy Black Opaque Double Jewel Case

- Disc One is Fluorescent Pink and Disc Two is Fluorescent Orange

- Parlophone/EMI Music

- Made in EU

- PETSHOPBOYS.CO.UK



Fundamental/Fundamentalism is an excellent album with fine songs, which are either sexy, laid-back or right up there in the dance-floor category. Tracks 1 and 4 are the best. Track 1 starts out almost like Depeche Mode's "Policy of Truth" but with a faster beat. Track #6 (God Willing) is not a song at all. It's deceiving and ends as soon as it starts. Sounds like one of those huge dancefloor celebrations, but it's not. Don't let it deceive you. I had to go back and check to make sure I didn't miss something. PSB offer an eclectic mix of mood & color with the tracks on this album, balanced between dramatic ballads and sultry, stunning anthems. I'm a little disappointed in the comparison between this album and anything PSB have done before the "Release" album. Considering Trevor Horn produced this album, I thought it would be a lot more dancy and unforgettable. Most of the songs on here, I won't remember before the next time I play the album. Even "Release" moved me more than this. At least PSB are still around after all these years, and that's why I bought the CD (to support them and their music). Sound quality is great, though. Neil still sounds as though he recently began singing (his voice is fresh and smart). The Anthems are memorable, although they do need a couple of listens before you can know for sure how you feel about them.



As for CD Two, I love it. "Fugitive" is beautiful and should've been on Disc One. "Sodom" follows in track 1's foosteps. What can I say? After playing the entire 2CDs, I feel happier, having heard Disc Two. The songs are all great and the CD is going to be in my Discman for a long time. At least the remixes don't sound like songs torn apart and spat out. Two Thumbs Up, to PSB and all the artists who've contributed with the mixes. Fantastic! Overall, Fundamental is a great album but not their best. It makes me laugh. On the sticker on the front, it says it's their best album in over a decade. I think not! There are too many gaps between "Anthem" type of songs, meaning the faster-paced songs. But I've got faith in PSB and will continue to support them and their music. I do recommend "Closer to Heaven" (written by Pet Shop Boys), as well as Release", Release", Very", "Behavior" and "Bilingual". These are the best PSB releases to date. Do buy Fundamental and listen to it carefully. You will agree with me about both discs."

A Fundamental Buy!

Lina | Singapore, Singapore | 06/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ah, and so they're back... Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of the Pet Shop Boys: The golden boys of pop. It's been four years of patient waiting, and almost exactly a year since the boys starting recording this one in their studio in London, it's finally and surely been released. The name of the album? A sleek Fundamental, which features a dozen new tracks - 11 new Tennant/Lowe compositions and one track, "Numb" written by Diane Warren ("Numb" was originally planned to be one of the two new tracks on PopArt).



Ok, so it's pretty obvious the duo have always had some kind of fascination with single one word titled albums - so far, all of their impressive nine studio albums have had one word titles. And apparently no word in the English dictionary is safe from the PSB choice for album name: From 1986 debut titled an interesting Please (please give this new disco duo a chance?) to the bizarrely named Very in 1993. So, not much surprise there with the title, Fundamental. But what's different this time around is, unlike some of the last, this name does seem to have less of a cryptic meaning behind it.



In tune with the tracks on this album (which are heavily laced with political commentary), Fundamental is a reference to the religious fundamentalism that led to the events of 9/11, and the subsequent `War on Terror'. The lyrics are therefore expectedly political, but mostly - as is with all PSB lyrics - are not always strictly what they seem. There are many tracks (if not all) on this album that will need reading between the lines, as many political rants are used as metaphors to personal stories and experiences. And of course, us fans have always appreciated PSB for that. Who would forget the clever "Only The Wind" - which is about domestic violence (`It's only the wind blowing litter all around / Just a little wind and the trees are falling down') - or the interesting "I Get Along", where the lyrics, although on the surface seem like a post-breakup song supposedly refer to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's firing of cabinet member and close friend Peter Mandelsohn over questionable loan arrangements - effectively turning that incident into a real-life metaphor for "regretful love".



In addition to being excited about the clever lyrics, fans also can relish the fact that Fundamental reunites Tennant and Lowe with legendary producer Trevor Horn, who first worked with them on the seminal "Left To My Own Devices" in 1988. So now the question is... does this album live up to the previous phenomenal results of the collaboration? The answer is yes, it probably even surpasses all expectations.



Even before listening to Fundamental, it would be clearly obvious to fans that this album is without a doubt inspired by the darker side of life. The CD sleeve is almost completely black, and features Tennant (dressed as a nineteenth century undertaker) and Lowe looking rather solemn. And that's just the visuals. Pop the CD in, and "Psychological" will take you into the audial journey of darkness.



This album is definitely more than just "I'm With Stupid" - the famous first single off the album which is a take on Tony Blair's close relationship with American President George W. Bush. It is definitely one of the best up-tempo very PSB-sounding songs on here, but the bottom line is that every single song on this album is sheer delight. "Psychological" is a steady mid-tempo start to the album, a pure electronica track that sounds quasi-Kraftwerk. Mixed with paranoid and sometimes odd questions and statements and the simple repetitive synth lines, "Psychological" is not doubt a different direction for PSB, and purists can rest assured that not the whole album is such. From old-school synth-pop track "Minimal" to "Luna Park"(a metaphor for America) to "Casanova In Hell" which is a sweet slow song, a lovely reminder of the classic "Liberation", this album really has no standout track because every single track is just that good. Though I must say that quite a few tracks on here are very new-sounding PSB - "The Sodom and Gomorrah Show", "I Made My Excuses and Left" and "Twentieth Century" sport a sound that is reminiscent of the sounds of the recent Release.



This album is a feast for the senses for any listener, regardless if you're a fan of the band and/or the genre or not. To put it short, this is one album to own - if you can appreciate good music, you will be listening to this one for a long time to come. So until the next album from the legendary PSB arrives, we will be dancing to this whilst we ponder the question: What will be the next word PSB is going to pick for the title of their next album?"