I had the great opportunity to listen to ELECTRIC last week. Lots of thanks to Curt from Kobaltmusic! Here is my impression track by track:
Axis (9/10):
Most of you have already heard the track. If not, you can do so here:
https://petshopboys-online.com/news/read/headline/Electric/details/1054 Great opener, gives a very good impression of the overall sounding of the album: Pet Shop Boys at their finest, 80s mood, modern and electric produced. Very energetic.
Bolshy (8/10):
Very catchy, very groovy, interesting vocals. It has a break in the middle that reminds of Always on my mind / in my house.
Love is a bourgeois construct (10/10):
Wow, high-energy ‘Go West’ like hymn with catchy lead melody/sound and – how else could it be – big choir. Interesting instrumental/vocal break. Very straight forward dance track. Backing melody with bells.
Fluorescent (8/10):
A sample is already published, you can listen to it here https://petshopboys-online.com/news/read/headline/Album-teaser/details/1058 BUT what you don’t hear and can not be expected: it goes on with a fat deep house beat. It includes lots of pitched lead sounds which makes
this a cool deep house club track.
Inside a dream (7/10):
Technoid song that for me sounds like it is named: ‘Inside a dream’. Kind of fluffy and spheric but also rough and dark. There is one style element that goes through the album: bells. Here again
The last to die (10/10):
Also one of my favourite tracks on the album. It is a cover-version of Bruce Springsteens ‘The last to die’ but for sure in Pet Shop Boys ELECTRIC style, dancy, 4 on the floor, energetic with kind of rocky mood. Reminds me of the Pet Shop Boys version of ‘Viva la vida’ with Madonna ‘Hung up’ bass filter.
Shouting in the evening (8/10):
This one you would never have expected from Pet Shop Boys. Really fast really techno, lots of vocal samples, no real chorus or verse with sweepy pitched lead sounds. You will surely hear this track at 9 in the morning at Berghain or every other electric/minimal/techno club.
Thursday (9/10):
Pure 80s with – again – bells. Here we can hear Chris saying ‘Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday’ like he did in ‘Time on my hands’ ’70, 80, 90, Party’. Most vocals were spoken / rapped, so it sounds a bit like West End Girls to me. The guest rapper ‘Example’ brings an Eminem touch to this song. I liked the line ‘Its not over’
Vocal (9/10):
Will be the next single after AXIS, the first airplay at radio1 already happened yesterday. A CD single release is planned as well as a 12“ vinyl, the download at iTunes is possible since now! It sounds a bit like David Gueatta meets 2 Unlimited and Daft Punk, fat synth pads and already played by Club DJs(!) around the world. Massive Clubtrack!
In general this album is what most of us have waited for years! Feel good music, lots of catchy tunes, finest electric/technoid pop and club tracks. Stuart price did an amazing production job, it sounds very modern, very fresh and very Pet Shop Boys. Some parts/tunes/effects/filters made me thinking of Madonnas ‘Confession on a Dance Floor’ which was also produced by Stuart Price. For me, the best since VERY!
