Customer Reviews

Fundamental

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Their first proper album in four years finds venerable British synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys in good form. "Fundamental" is a solid album, with a coherent production and lyrics which are (mostly) full of intelligence and wit. The album falters in a couple of spots, but for the most part showcases a continuing strong career of one of modern music's most talented acts.

Things get off to a moody, electronic start with "Psychological," which is a sparse, blippy little number that mainly uses psychologically distressing lyrics to render a sense of creepiness and foreboding. "I Made My Excuses and Left" has an elegant orchestral opening, reminiscent of a train station scene in one of those sad, romantic b&w films, and then switches to a proper pop song about mid-way through. "Twentieth Century," while not memorable lyrically, sets a dark and interesting mood through the music alone.

The Pet Shop Boys aren't known for being overtly political, although they have been so on occasion, and often are in a subtle fashion. It could be said that their 1987 album "Actually" is the most politically overt they've been before now. In response to a changing and polarizing world, "Fundamental" finds the Boys speaking out quite a bit. The lead single, "I'm With Stupid," is a commentary about Tony Blair and George W. Bush. "Integral" is a protest against Britain's proposed ID card initiative. And the United States is given a not-so-shining allegorical treatment in "Luna Park." Surprisingly, all of these songs work, a testament to PSB's song-writing ability.

"Fundamental" is, overall, a rather dark album. The synths are cold and moody. The songs, whether they be about politics or love, tend to have a negative undercurrent to them, even if they don't come across that way on the surface. It's an album that wishes things were different, that things were better for not only lovers, but for the world. It's interesting, then, to note that underneath the darkness there is the light of hope.

-- Matthew Gladney

If you are a fan of Pet Shop Boys Fundamental is an album that you absolutely cannot pass up. Fundamental is the first Pet Shop Boys album since the 2003 release of their album titled Release. Release was a solid album. Popular singles from that album include "E-mail," "Home & Dry," "London," and "I Get Along." As solid as the album was, it didn't quite capture that electronica/techno sound that Pet Shop popularized outside of the album track "Samurai In Autumn."

With Fundamental Pet Shop Boys have reteamed with producer Trevor Horn to release one of their best albums in years. The first single "I'm With Stupid" is a sold dance joint. Other awesome uptempo songs on the album "Psychological," include "Minimal," "Integral," and "The Sodom and Gomorrah Show." The intro to "The Sodom and Gomorrah Show," will surely put a smile on your face.

As with most Pet Shop Boys albums their are several slow tempo songs with thought provoking lyrics. "Lunar Park" is awesome. "Indefinite Leave To Remain" is one of the most beautiful Pet Shop Boys songs ever.

Fundamental is a solid, great Pet Shop Boys album that you must add to your collection.

Being a rabid Pet Shop Boys devotee from the very beginning, it does not come easy for me to declare that Fundamental is the culmination of everything that makes them great. I have loved every cd they have released, finding each with only the rarest flaw (usually one or two less than good songs). Fundamental is the exception. Every song is a well-crafted piece of music-art. Not one single throw-away.

Adding to the creative fire that Neil and Chris have lit, legendary producer/musician Trevor Horn knows just what to do with every spark. The whole thing is sexy and groovy without ever being too slick. And while Fundamental is full of danceable goodness, it is irresistably intimate. It moves your heart as much as it moves your body.

I dare not deconstruct the cd song by song. It is enough to say that each song is bursting with everything that makes music addictive. You'll start by tapping a foot and end up singing along at the top of your lungs! The melodies grab you quickly and won't let go.

The Boys are still having fun but Fundamental is the result of songwriters reaching maturity. Like red wine, our Pet Shop Boys only get better with age.

As a long time PSB fan I wondered what the new album would sound like. Each of the previous three albums had been a significant departure for the boys, and although I wasn't too keen on Bilingual (my least favorite of their albums), I really liked Nightlife and Release.

So, I knew they were "going back to their roots" and Trevor Horn would be producing, and I hoped for the best...and the best is exactly what I got. I admit to hearing "I'm with Stupid" before I got the album and it's catchy chorus hooked me right away, so my expectations for the album increased significantly. Overall, the album is magnificant. "Psychological" starts things off with a simplistic synth line running through it and was actually one of the tracks that took me awhile to warm up to. The lyrics are dark and mysterious and actually outshine the song. "The Sodom and Gomorrah Show" is fun and decadent, with a "It's a Sin" sort of feel because it is so over the top, but this is definitely not a criticism. "Minimal", a poppy track Neil obviously penned for his partner in crime, Chris - aka "minimalist extraordinaire", is an exercise in contradiction. The lyrics clearly reflect minimalistic ideals and yet it is juxtaposed against the complexity of the ever increasing musical additions. I believe this track is marked as the next single, with good reason as it's addictive. "I made my excuses and left" is typical Pet Shop Boys, beautiful and heartbreaking. "Numb", a track not written by the boys, is so unlike them, and yet such an outstanding track. Neil sings so full of emotion and the song captures exactly what it feels like when the world seems to be crumbling in around you. "God Willing" is short...too short! I definitely would have loved to have heard a flushed out version of this excellent instrumental track. "Luna Park" is moody and atmospheric. Here Neil compares the climate of fear of terrorism to the fear one has at an amusement park. This track really is a "grower" with repeated listenings. "Casanova in Hell" is slightly shocking (especially if you are unfamiliar with the boys), but shocking in a good way. No one else in the world could, or would, have written this track, but it works. As Neil begins yelling at the end of the song, I was just blown away. "Twentieth Century", a political track, was for me the weakest cut on the album. Lyrically, we are advised that when faced with adversity, we need to "stay together", a rather innocent and naive point of view considering that no one lives in Utopia. The song is not bad, mind you, just not up the quality of the other songs. "Indefinite Leave to Remain" is a quiet, meaningful song about immigration. The one criticism that I would make is that I wish this was purely a love song, as I gravitate towards the more emotional tracks, instead of another political statement. Finally, "Integral" is a rousing, angry track that finishes off the album, regardless of your political leanings, in a very gratifying way.

So, with this in mind...what do I really think? Honestly, this is my favorite Pet Shop Boys album ever. It has fast songs, and slow songs, funny songs, sad songs, and that's what I like about it...it's one album I can listen from beginning to end without having to think "hey didn't they already do that one?" or having to skip a track. It really is that good.

Been a PSB fan for a long long time now and this album has been played over and over for the past couple of months. This album is brilliant from start to finish with no weak links. The lyrics are poignant and the tracks seem to follow a fast-slow-fast-slow pattern, which eases the pace of the album. The lush orchestral sound which accompanies several of the tracks is amazing and I am still NUMB at the brilliance of this new album. The boys are back in town!!!

The boys are it again. They amaze me with their ability to keep their sound fresh and relevant for such a long career of 25 years! This album contains a number of great tunes and I didn't hear one that I thought was bad. Same upbeat, synth sound with Neil Tennant's awesome voice. Very fresh, most songs are on the lighter side. If you've enjoyed past Pet Shop Boys albums, you'll like this one. Psychological is my fave tune.

I've been a Pet Shop Boys fan since I was 12, and I've always been impressed with how this band can maintain such a high level of quality, album after album. The PSB don't do bad albums. That said, Fundamental doesn't seem like their strongest work, but does have some very memorable numbers. My favorite song on the album is "Luna Park," which is very haunting and wouldn't be out of place on any "best of" PSB collection.

Unfortunately, a few songs seem a bit less interesting. "Casonova in Hell" seems to be trying to say something important, but hearing the word "erection" in a PSB song just makes it comical (perhaps intentionally so?) The song "Numb" almost borders on annoying, and "Psychological" sounds like a collaboration with late Depeche Mode (not necessarily a bad thing).

In short, this album is mostly slow and even (dare I say it?) boring at times, but the high points (again, I point at Luna Park), and "I'm with Stupid" is catchy, even if the refrain at the end seems a bit overdone. Still, if you're new to PSB, I'd recommend the singles collection Discography or Very, though Nightlife is also prime PSB.

Yes, the eighties are back, thank God! One of those staples from that era are the Pet Shop Boys back with a mischievious, anti-religion bang for the buck with songs that will make your cry, feel and yes, dance. Who says the synthesizer is dead? Some of us happen to love that sound, etc., a la Depeche Mode, Howard Jones, etc. The one song that everyone should relate to is Numb, a lovely, sad ballad about how the world just comes down on people to the point where they want to feel nothing and just drop out. That's my mantra for 2006, since I just lost my mother. Loss is a huge part of the message of this album and of course, betrayal from one lover to the other. Let's not forget unrequited love and the absurd, like the Sodom and Gomorrah Show. Nobody expresses themselves with irony and humor like the Pet Shop Boys.

But I've always thought that they sounded just like Scottish singer, Al Stewart(remember, Year of the Cat fame). Fundamental is something you fundamentally must own if you're a big fan of these guys like I am. Don't forget to see the show. They never fail to disappoint. If Madonna can come out with dance music, so can they. Hail, the eighties!

Since their meeting in an electronics shop 25 years ago, Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have produced some of the most compelling pop music ever to hit the charts, marrying dancefloor-friendly beats and rhythms with witty and insightful lyrics. Their latest release, "Fundamental", deserves its place as one of their finest albums, showcasing their impressive songwriting abilities and ensuring that their reputations as the 'godfathers of pop' continue to be well-deserved.

With a remix album ("Disco 3") and greatest hits collection ("PopArt") covering the years between Fundamental and their last studio album (2002's "Release"), Pet Shop Boys occupied themselves with writing the musical "Closer to Heaven", a score to Eisenstein's 'Battleship Potemkin' and remixing other artists, most recently Madonna's "Sorry". Those worried that their next studio album would meet a similarly muted fate as Release will be pleasantly reassured - "Fundamental" is an instant classic.

Two things immediately strike the listener about this album: the strongly political themes running through such songs as "Integral", "I'm With Stupid" and "Indefinite Leave to Remain"; and a return to a more dance-orientated approach after the low-key indie sound of "Release" with songs such as "Minimal" and "Twentieth Century". Enhanced by returning producer Trevor Horn - a previous collaborator with the Pet Shop Boys on 1988's "Introspective" - songs such as "The Sodom and Gomorrah Show" evoke memories of earlier hits like "Left To My Own Devices" and "Where The Streets Have No Name".

As writers of some of the best pop commentary on Thatcherism in songs like "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)", "Rent", "King's Cross" and "Shopping", Pet Shop Boys turn their dissatisfaction with issues such as the Iraq War, the UK-US special relationship, immigration and identity cards into powerful, emotional songs such as "Luna Park", "Integral", "I'm With Stupid" and, the pick of the bunch, "Indefinite Leave To Remain". The title, taken from a UK government term for immigrant status, reveals a love song couched in official bureaucratic terminology and is achingly beautiful.

As with their greatest hits collection, "PopArt", the many aspects of the Pet Shop Boys are fully realised in this album, with the electro joy of "Minimal" inviting thoughts of Kraftwerk meeting New Order via Mies van der Rohe, and contrasting strongly with the orchestral "Casanova in Hell" (which song may cause PetHeads to recall earlier B-side "Don Juan") or the quiet, awkward heartbreak of "I Made My Excuses And Left". For those considering the remix album "Fundamentalism", the remix of "In Private" (featuring Elton John), the Lobe remix of "Minimal" and Richard X's "Fugitive" mix all stand out.

The only real disappointment of the album is the Diane Warren-penned "Numb", an overproduced ballad that seems incongruous among the other songs here. However, the album overall is worthy of standing beside albums such as "Please", "Actually", "Introspective", "Behaviour" and "Very". A rich, amusing and thoughtful album, confirming the Pet Shop Boys as one of pop's finest and most intelligent ambassadors.

I have to admit the first one star review posted of this album is awfully clever and funny but way off the mark. Pet Shop Boys have created a bleak and moody electropop masterpiece this time around. This album of course contains the intelligent lyrics, biting humor, irony and musical stylings of past PSB albums. What is new here is the commentary on the state of the world today and a quite cynical and pointed criticism of the recent political climate. While there are over the top and synth-filled dance tracks (Sodom and Gomorrah/Integral/Minimal), there are also dreamy ballads (Numb, Luna Park), and more experimental pieces that seem to have come from a stage musical (I Made My Excuses, Casanova in Hell). If you are a fan of PSB or electronic music with great lyrics, give Fundamental a try. Even better, grab the edition with the bonus CD Fundamentalism. Fugitive and the Sodom remix alone are worth the price of the bonus CD edition. Fugitive is probably one of the best PSB dance recordings ever.