Review: Fundamental
Comments Off | Posted: May 26th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Produced by Frankie Goes To Hollywood auteur Trevor Horn, Fundamental displays the intelligence, wit, and worldliness that have consistently placed the Pet Shop Boys high in my heart. The record opens with the minimal, elegiac “Psychological,” a track that debuted as an instrumental white label late last year and now featuring Tennant’s observations of the listener’s fashion, political, and clinical paranoia in the new England that Tony Blair is behind. This menacing, subdued opening is followed with “It’s a sin”‘s bigger, beefier brother, “The Sodom and Gomorrah Show.” Full of arpeggios, giant chords, and a veritable choir of riffing electric guitars, this is the album’s first peak. Chris Lowe is on full display in this piece with a driving melody that snatches what it wants from Broadway, Queen, and disco. Tennant’s arched eyebrow is, if you couldn’t tell by the title, also in full force – there’s irony and blissful hedonism in his matter-of-fact delivery over Trevor Horn’s extravagant sound.
The third track, “I made my excuses and left,” does a fine, fine job of making sure that you’re as uncomfortable as the situation that Tennant describes as he was. Told anecdotally with very little in the way of “proper” pop songwriting, this slower piece seems oddly placed after the sophomore track’s excess, but it’s a very nice track on its own and manages to lead into future single “Minimal” very nicely. “Minimal” serves as the second standout moment on this excellent record, and not just for the use of spelling, a technique that I’ve repeatedly stated my love of. It’s got a dancefloor friendly beat, wry observations, and itchy analog synth noises that demand your full attention, along with a bassline that sounds suspiciously like it belongs on a really, really good New Order record.
However, this is when the fun stops for four minutes and forty-three seconds. Whatever possessed two very, very fine songwriters to ask Dianne Warren, she of “My Heart Will Go On” and the opening theme to Enterprise to write a song for them? The vocal melody of “Numb” is far too sing-songy for Tennant and the frequent use of “wanna” makes me think more of Ashley Simpson an her ilk than, you know, the smartest men in pop. The wasted string section and bargain-basement piano chords don’t help at all. I’m very glad this treacle was not chosen as one of the PopArt singles, as was originally the plan – it would have put a nail in the coffin far, far too early.
The instrumental interlude “God Willing” sets up the second half of Fundamental very nicely, though, feeling like the bridge of a quite good trance track. Another odd programming choice kicks in immediately afterwards, though, with the meditative and observational “Luna Park.” Much like Very’s “The theater” and “The survivors” from the underrated Bilingual, this song’s description of an amusement park serves as metaphor for culture, be it gay or straight, and its need for distraction from the realities of modern England.
Speaking of modern England, “I’m with Stupid,” is the Pet Shop Boys’ strongest single since “Can you forgive her?” Nominally about a man with a much, much less intelligent partner, the song serves as a funny, pointed look at the relationship between Tony Blair and George Bush. This follows up on Release’s “I get along,” based on Peter Mandelson, the Northern Ireland secretary that was forced to resign.
I initially dismissed “Casanova in Hell,” as it sounded a bit duff the first go-round, but by the second listening, the slow, string-laden, sad story of the aged title character’s realizing that he could no longer perform in the manner to which he was accustomed had me grinning. Also: it rhymes “affection” and “erection.” Even more also: they’re not talking about building sites. “Twentieth century” is one of those hopeful, upbeat songs that Pet Shop Boys put on albums to fuel the lazy journalists’ “they’re always completely ironic” argument. Sometimes, the line “let’s stay together” means just that, guys. There’s an unfortunate guitar breakdown that I’m not taken with, but this is a sure to be a grower among the sort of fans that post on message boards and listen exclusively to their favorite band.
Stop looking at me like that.
“Indefinite leave to remain,” has a clever title, clever lyrics, and a clever structure, but fails to hit. There’s something about it – maybe the too-similar-to-”Numb” sound – that just hits me wrong. I do like the idea of the track an awful lot, though. Thankfully, the album ends on a high note – the danceable, intelligent indictment of ID cards, which is a hot-button issue in the UK right now. “Integral,” of course, serves to address the current threat-level obsessed US government as well.
If you’ve done nothing wrong,
you’ve got nothing to fear.
If you’ve something to hide,
you shouldn’t even be here.
You’ve had your chance,
now we’ve got the mandate.
I’ve you’ve changed your mind,
I’m afraid it’s too late.
This is the pop music equivalent of an intelligent blockbuster movie: bombastic, intelligent, and the sort of thing that will have people in the aisles when it’s played as the last song at their live shows.
This is the Pet Shop Boys album that finishes the apology for Release that began with “Miracles” and “Flamboyant” from PopArt – it’s not perfect, but there’s a consistent level of quality that is hard to deny for among us that like their singable dance records to have that something extra. Fundamental also comes available in a special super disco limited edition that features a bonus disc of remixes aimed squarely at clubs.. Fundamentalism, while not a necessity, serves as a better-than-bonus-material extra.
Excluding, of course, that Elton John appearance on the otherwise-spectacular Stuart Crichton remix of “In Private.”
