Grazing Rites

Here is my initial review of Pet Shops Boys latest album, Fundamental…

In General
In a world with pop music written by marketing teams it’s so refreshing when a group like PSB or Hootie releases something with some emotional maturity and depth. How could anyone pirate something so beautiful? PSB is one of only 2 bands I still buy CDs from and there’s a very good reason for that. Bless Europe for responding so well to their efforts and keeping them up in the charts and thus ensuring the Boys keep at it. I read in a message forum that someone thought this was the best album ever which I thought was overstating things (my Behaviour will NEVER be toppled!) but upon further reflection and listening and I can definitely see where they’re coming from…

Recently I had been craving some new music and begun to wonder if I would ever find another CD like my favorites that I often gravitate towards and with this disc my concerns are dispelled as I know this will be another treasured favorite in no time.

Perhaps one of the best things about this CD is that it makes you want to pull out all your old PSB CDs and give them another listen because it revisits, recaptures, or builds on their previous successes.

If there is one track this entire disc reminds me of it’s Footstep In The Dark the unexpected gem from Nightlife. Why that is I can’t quite articulate.

Psychological
I can see why they made this the first track of the disc as it’s got a strong beat and is unique but it seems to be the least impressive offering of the album at a first glance. Obviously as with all music one’s opinion of it is likely to change as you become more familiar with the song - that of course applies to all that follows.

The Sodom And Gomorrah Show
Why does the opening of this song remind me of Stephen Colbert? I absolutely LOVE the music and the sound of this song, the subject matter could be better but the song sounds so good it’s hard to make an issue of it. If this is the new sound of PSB then I’ve seen the future and it is good.

I Made My Excuses And Left
This song starts off musically sounding much like Behaviour but when the vocals begin you feel like you’re listening to a lost track from Nightlife. The fellow I bought the CD from told me they get back to their softer roots in this album and I must say this is a great example of that and I couldn’t be happier. This is such a beautiful song.

Minimal
This starts off vaguely Alternative-like but quickly comes into it’s own. The music almost reminds me of Eiffel 65 but the sound is so uniquely PSB it could never be mistaken for anything else. You can’t help but sing along.

Numb
The orchestral opening not like anything Behaviour had to offer definitely grabs your attention. What a lovely song.

God Willing
PSB definitely knows how to create a show-stopping lead-in to a song, although not as amazing as Red Letter Day mind you but here they were nice enough to make this it’s own Moby-esque track (think a shorter version of ‘Rushing’).

Luna Park
Another intelligent song, again another characteristic sorely lacking these days in popular music. Is there any chance I could get the annual fair I work for to use this song for the new fireworks show? They had Magic Power the last couple years…

I’m With Stupid
Was this title designed to garner attention as the first single I wonder? The title reminds me of Prozzak’s Sucks To Be You which took me awhile to warm up to because it seemed to be trying so hard to get attention. The 80s dance quality is kind of fun and I suppose it’s appropriate that a band FROM the 80s capitalize on it’s retro resurgence. The lyrics are cute and I think we’ve all been in a relationship at one time or another that has given us cause to ask, ‘Am I dating below my IQ?’ I think this song was just meant to be some good tongue-in-cheek fun that PSB are so known for (’I Want A Dog’ anyone?)

Casanova In Hell
This is one of the songs that definitely stuck out upon first listening. Classic romantic figures seems to be a recurring theme for PSB given the song about Don Juan from Alternative, and you’ll find no complaints from me (despite the line about erections) as they all make charming songs.

Twentieth Century
Another song that practically demands you sing along. Catchy, witty, and yet still deep and unique - will PSB ever fail to deliver the goods? I hope not.

Indefinite Leave To Remain
What an interesting turn of phrase, when I propose I would love to use these lyrics but I’m afraid no girl would understand me.

Integral
Is this song about NSA wiretaps? Again this reminds me of Alternative. I love how what was once their quirky sense of humour or off-beat ideas relegated to B-sides on singles are now part of their mainstream and accepted effort, I think the success of Alternative made this possible and it makes me proud to think I was a part of that, having purchased the double CD for well over $30 at the time.

In Conclusion…

If you are even pondering the possibility of not purchasing this CD, or worse yet downloading it, then I daresay you need to seriously consider professional help until you can pick up the disc legally and think back upon when you thought of not buying it and the only phrase that will come to mind will be “Yesterday, When I Was Mad…”

No one told me the new PSB album Fundamental came out last week! Way to let the side down! I’ll probably post a review of it within a few days but thus far everything but the first track is awesome

Countries cooler than us: UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy,
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands,
Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden
http://www.apple.com/euro/itunes/charts/top10albums.html
Can you iPod junkies fix this?

I had a very odd dream last night, one I remember in perfect detail which is odd. In the dream I took a vacation to pre-war Iraq - methinks I’ve been watching too much Daily Show. Anyways there was a mall attached to the airport (which at times looked suspiciously like the airport in Edmonton) so before going to the hotel I wandered around this mall when I realized I left the Canadian flag I normally have on my backpack at home and I get a little worried that I might be mistaken for an American. I shrug it off realizing there’s little I can do about it now and begin to wander the mall. After looking in various stores and petting a cat with tons of sand in it’s fur I realize my backpack is missing, either I left it somewhere or it’s been stolen. As I search for my backpack I discover the mall is run by the same company that runs West Edmonton Mall. Anyways eventually I realize that were this mall actually in Iraq and attached to an airport it would’ve been bombed to hell by now and I wake up. Weird.

Perhaps this was motivated by my annoyance at all the people calling for us to pull out of Afghanistan. I mean, their government supported a group that attacked an ally - and remember a core principle of NATO is “an attack against one is an attack against all”. I think the response was appropriate and now we’re trying to help things become stabilized before leaving, it’s sound like the responsible thing to do to me. I think if we left now out of some visceral knee-jerk reaction things would get far worse for the people living there. I admit I’m completely against the Iraq war but that’s not the same thing at all. I’m anti-war in general but there are times when it’s the only appropriate course of action. As Sisko once said “we’re losing the peace so a war may be our only hope”

How this all relates to my Iraqi Vacation dream is anybody’s guess.