Fresh from their, shall we say, ‘aesthetically eccentric’
appearance at the Olympics closing ceremony, British synth-pop staple the Pet
Shop Boys return with their eleventh studio offering, Elysium. As is clear from the title, referring to a Greek vision of
the afterlife, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe tackle the big issues of life, love,
death and everything after, with consistent success, though without breaking
any new ground.
Tennant’s
lyrical quirks once again combine with pop-friendly vocal melodies and
infectious synth-based hooks to produce twelve impressive, if largely unremarkable,
tracks from these seasoned veterans of the pop world. A more subdued, subtle
effort than you might expect, the album almost delivers an easy-listening
ambience; consistently mid-tempo, without a huge dancefloor anthem. Made to be
played through as one piece, Elysium
has an autumnal tranquillity belied by its underlying optimism and witty self-deprecation.
‘Your Early Stuff’ and ‘Ego Music’ are testament to this, the former displaying
a particularly British humour. Comprised of snippets from genuine conversations
with cab drivers, Tennant humbly and humorously reflects on pop stardom: “Those old videos look pretty
funny/What's in it for you now, need
the money?”
When
the duo adopts a less mocking lyrical tone, the results can vary. While ‘A Face
Like That’ successfully provides a classic, 80s-oriented dance number, first
single ‘Winner’ would be more suited to one of those High School Musical films
we all know and hate. Surely intended for use at the Olympics, this is
certainly the cheddar-coated low point of the LP. Conversely, opener ‘Leaving’
is the high, with dream-like layered vocals seeing Tennant tackle the onset of
old age. Elsewhere, ‘Requiem in Denim and Leopardskin’ smoothly and joyously
brings Elysium floating to an end in
just under six minutes.
Expensively
produced, subtly layered and musically consistent, Elysium is not the catchiest pop album of the year by any means. Occasionally,
tracks seem primed for use in lifts or when holding the line for twenty minutes
while customer services helpfully put you through to someone incapable of
helping. However, with attention and patience, it may well be one of the year’s
most rewarding and lasting pop albums.
7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment