Pet Shop Boys - Yes

by Anthony Strutt

published: 30 / 5 / 2009

Label: Parlophone
Format: CD

intro

Outstanding tenth album from the Pet Shop Boys, which finds them working with both the Girls Aloud production team, Xenomania, and also former Smith guitarist, Johnny Marr

I have to admit that I am not a fan of the Pet Shop Boys, but if you live in The UK and you are a fan of pop music in general then you will have, without perhaps taking much notice of them, heard a lot of their material in the twenty plus years that they have been around. 'Yes' is, to be damn honest, a great album. It is in fact the best album that I have heard in ages by anyone. Three tracks were co-written with Xenomania and the album also features former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. 'Love etc' opens the album. It was also the first single too off the album. It is light and fluffy, and classic Pet Shop Boys pop, a head bopper from the start. 'All Over the World' is slower in feel and has crisp vocals from Neil Tennant. It is is a real charmer of a song, and reveals why they are at the top of their game and a head of the rest in their field. 'Beautiful People' sounds like a Lee Hazlewood tune. With is lush guitars and backing, it is widescreen cinematic in sound. 'Did You See Me Coming ?' is hands in the air, Friday night pop, full of all the joys of life and everything that is good in it. 'Vulnerable' is another lush-sounding number. It is sung by Tennant in the narrative style that he does so well and has a smooth keyboard groove with some easy-on-the-ear acoustic guitar added underneath. 'More Than a Dream' is another end of the week number and has a rave sound. 'Building A Wall' is a big style pop track with a lovely melody. 'Kings Of Rome' recalls Simply Red and is absolutely beautiful. 'Pandemonium' is big in sound and full of summer sunshine, happiness and joy. 'The Way It Used to Be' has a more familiar Pet Shop Boys sound. It has elegant smooth beats and is very pop friendly. 'Legacy' is very cinematic and and very beautiful. It actually sounds like a good end to a decent film rather then a last album track. To me this is a perfect album from start to finish, upon which every track could easily be a single and a hit at that too.

Track Listing:-

1 Love Etc.
2 All Over The World
3 Beautiful People
4 Did You See Me Coming?
5 Vulnerable
6 More Than A Dream
7 Building A Wall
8 King Of Rome
9 Pandemonium
10 The Way It Used To Be
11 Legacy

Band Links:-

http://petshopboys.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/petshopboys
https://twitter.com/petshopboys
https://www.youtube.com/petshopboys
https://plus.google.com/117889052168255239522
http://www.songkick.com/artists/550013-pet-shop-boys

Label Links:-

http://www.parlophone.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/parlophone
https://twitter.com/parlophone
http://parlophonerecords.tumblr.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/ParlophoneRecords
https://instagram.com/parlophone/

live reviews

Henley Festival, Henley, Oxfordshire, 6/7/2017

Nick Dent-Robinson asserts that 1980's icons Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have as the Pet Shop Boys, 'constantly pushed the boundaries' since their inception. He enjoys two dynamic sets of synth pop at the prestigious Henley Festival.