Not getting away with it
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Elysium
THE album Yes provided Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe with a much needed renaissance after their studio albums had started to sink into relative unhappiness – especially when compared to the standard of long players produced up to the mid-90s.
Whether or not Elysium, their new record named after a Greek term for Paradise, could continue the good run was a critical question.
Now we know the answer is no. Well, sort of.
The idea that PSB remain kings of pop is long dead, but they do manage glimpses of their disco edge with Leaving, Your Early Stuff and Egomusic.
The subject matter of Elysium doesn’t lend itself to the upbeat.
This is a morose and melancholic album even by PSB standards, exploring sadness and death and perhaps being prompted by Tennant losing both his parents in the past five years.
That I can deal with, even thrive on. But what makes me lose my interest with Elysium is that so many topics have been covered before – and better – by PSB themselves.
Egomusic takes a swipe at pompous divas, just like in How Do You Expect To Be Taken Seriously.
And there’s also self loathing and, sigh, a desire to give it all up and seek solace.
This a middle of the road Shoppies album at best, with Winner being the low point.
This unofficial Olympics song was released to coincide with the games and even got played at some venues.
Surely it’s selling out like that which could be the focus of a song on the next CD.
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Thursday 23 May 2013
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