Pet Shop Boys - Electric, produced by Stuart Price

Hyped

http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/pet-shop-boys-leave-parlophone-new-album-coming-in-june/053977

I stick with them no matter what

They did imply during the Elysium interviews that they'd held back the pop bangers so I'm not surprised that this has come so soon afterwards but I didn't realise Price was involved.

Stuart Price, eh? They should have held out for Avicii.

7/8 years too late for all concerned.

probably a lot more for psb, but trying to create a feasible scenario wherein stuart was alive or not 7

The Will Young/Richard X album wasn't *terrible*

The last album was their dullest since "Release," but I will always have time for the Pet Shop Boys. At least they probably got a better quote from Price than they would have 8 years ago! Maybe they got some awesome deep discounted tracks.

Stuart Cut-Price

Well!

Les Carpetright Digitales

they should do something with ian catt. and not just for the opportunity to do animal puns

nah i'm still excited for this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNliJ66WbbU

sounds better than what they have been doing. sort of.

couldn't sound much worse tbf.

so it's 'Relentless' to 'Elysium's 'Very' i guess. psyched!

This shows all the signs of one of those records where all parties concerned aim for a platonic ideal of what they should sound like and end up underwhelming on all fronts.

Unfortunately, Neil's lyrics were the weakest link of the last one. I hope he steps up here.

I'm hopeful because Price did such faultless work on the last tour. He came it as a fan but not a reverential one. The sequencing of the show, and the new versions of certain tracks, were spot-on. Of course Neil & Chris still need to write some good songs but I don't have any worries about the sound of the record.

Unfortunately, Neil's lyrics were the weakest link of the last one.

oh man I wish I agreed with this, I might have enjoyed more than one song on the last album

my overall reaction to Elysium was "I can feel myself aging as I listen to this"

Elysium grew me on me a fair bit (although Winner should still obviously burn in hell) but it was the first time I actually had to force myself to buy a Pet Shop Boys album out of loyalty. I have faith that this album will be great, I'll always have time for a new album by them.

The last album was their dullest since "Release,"

It was. But then... The two in between were their best ones apart from "Very" and "Behaviour".

I think they're done but I'll still pay my respects.

I mean, the only song I ever want to hear off of Elysium is "Ego Music" and that's partially because I'm still trying to decide if it's terrible or not

"Leaving" is still my pick.

"Leaving", "Memory Of The Future", "Requiem in Denim and Leopardskin", and, hmmmmm that's it...

will be weird to not see the parlophone/emi label on a psb release ...
like blur, its just one of things you expect to see on all of their covers.

the youtube is encouraging - all I ask is that the majority of tracks are danceable.

Even weirder not to see the Parlophone label on Paul McCartney releases.

from their Facebook

Pet Shop Boys
The countdown has begun! Tomorrow we reveal the album artwork, track listing and release date for the new album Electric.

From Popjustice:

Example appears on a song called ‘Thursday’, Bruce Springsteen cover ‘The Last To Die’ (as performed live on recent dates) is track six, the amazing italotronic teaser track from last month is really called ‘Axis’ and opens the album, there’s a Boys Noize mix of ‘Axis’ on its way, the whole thing’s out on July 15, and you can pre-order it on iTunes right now.

Neil and Chris told a press release that “‘Electric’ is very much set on the dance floor,” adding: “Our latest album often evolves as a response to our previous album and, whereas ‘Elysium’ had a reflective mood, ‘Electric’ is pretty banging! [TRANSLATION: GET ON YOUR DANCING SHOES] And working with Stuart Price on a studio album is something we have wanted to do for a very long time.”

In further copy and paste action, Stuart Price adds: “Making ‘Electric’ was an exciting experience. We recorded it between Berlin, London and Los Angeles using various techniques between old school synth and drum machine programming and new school computer mangling. For me it was a chance to work with two people who shaped so much of my musical taste, yet who keep on pushing farther in both a natural and unexpected fashion. ‘Disco’ (from 1986) was an album that always spoke to me because it blended song arrangements with dance floor mixes, and that is what ‘Electric’ felt like to make. Allowing songs to be full length without considering the pop rules, disregarding classic structures and instead just working instinctively on what was fun and danceable.”

The full tracklisting, meanwhile, is:

1. Axis
2. Bolshy
3. Love Is A Bourgeois Concept
4. Flourescent
5. Inside A Dream
6. The Last To Die
7. Shout In The Evening
8. Thursday
9. Vocal

New tour should be amazing on this basis.

as long as it's better than the last two stinkers

God a good feeling about this one, based on not much in particular.

I'm always wary of acts that state a goal. This is a dance album! This is an album more aligned with album x! Etc. They set the bar so high. But of course, no act sets out to make a bad or disappointing record on purpose, so I have to take any expressed enthusiasm with a grain of salt, especially when it's coming from the producer, who a) is being paid to be there and b) whose record as a producer for others has been pretty spotty as of late.

Still, fingers crossed!

Setting my expectations as low as humanly possible for this.

If we get a Relenteless-style album of instrumentals similar to that track I'd be happy...

Relentless

as long as it's better than the last two stinkers

Yes was pretty good, but I agree Elysium was awful.

I had positive things to say about The Most Incredible Thing and the most positive thing I can say about Elysium is that it eventually ended

well also "Ego Music" was fun to listen to while reading the Amanda Palmer thread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDCU17wXktY

Definitely a throw back to Relentless or "Euroboy".

20 seconds in and this is already better than everything on Elysium

otm

"Euroboy" is so awesome

picking up a big patrick cowley vibe from this....

ok much better

If they could just write one song as good as 'Domino Dancing' again, I'd be incredibly happy!

is today "Turrican trolls DJP Day" or something

Not at all!

they're fairly punctual. Stuart Price opened down here!

But there's no opener here. So there it was 8pm sharp ... but with an opener, meaning they went on closer to 9. I wonder if they'll split the difference here.

Can't wait for their show in Montréal next tuesday !!

Stuart Price opened down here!

Is Price playing in the live band oh please oh please

In Atlanta the doors were at 8pm and there was no opener, and they went on at 8:45.

Very excited about the Windsor show in a couple weeks. Closest to me was either that or Chicago so hey why not go to Canada?

I was a huge fan all through the 80's and 90's but then fell off after Nightlife. I love the new album, and I've never had a chance to see them live.

Loved the show tonight. Those dancers deserve a raise.

Weirdest thing: I had shockingly good seats, second row (that in and of itself is not the weird part), but there was this dude, maybe in his early '50s and well over six feet tall, singing along to every song front row center next to his wife or girlfriend the whole night ... except for the two minutes when he got in some big fight with the little guy behind me (somehow), who he basically threw ten feet, yelling at him, before the little guy chucked a drink back at his head! After things had settled down, the guy next to me leaned over and said "that is the absolute last thing I ever expected to see at a Pet Shop Boys show."

Love the Kirby-esque keyboard stand! My friend took some more pics here:
http://www.soundspike.com/photos/2324/1/pet-shop-boys-in-oakland-ca/

okay yes and lol:

https://twitter.com/petshopboys/status/461513740035579904

hahahahaha well done! :D

Obviously the greatest thing to happen to you in 2014.

He should tell 'em how he feels about 'Domino Dancing' next! :D

Ha, that's really awesome.

:D

Electric tour came to a former train repair shed, now arts venue, in Sydney this weekend (and nowhere else in Australia). Sound was pissweak, and the setlist verrry close to what I saw in Boston nine months ago, but interestingly a few of the arrangements and versions have been retooled along the way - I wonder if they've gone back into the studio properly with JLC during a fallow month, or if they and Gleadall can tweak that kind of detail on the road. Most notable changes: Memory Of The Future swapped for Bourgeois, coming up to a total of five Electric songs in the show; Being Boring added (to the beginning of the encore, enabling a build up to Go West); and Sterling Void getting a small APRA payment at the end of Vocal - first Neil singing some of the chorus over the Vocal music, and then some of the tune coming in on the sequencers after the PSB leave the stage.

Also: lots more "you sing this!" choruses and call & responses from Neil than just him trolling Dan in the trailout of Domino Dancing.

This album is holding up very well. It probably won't happen, but if their next album is in a similar vein to Electric I wouldn't complain in the least.

I've just seen on the Pet Shop Boys' official Facebook page that they'll be having a quick break and then back to work with Stuart Price on the follow-up to Electric ... album is due for release in March/April 2016, apparently.

Looks like it might be this:

http://whatissuper.co/

...It was!

New upcoming album, Super, is out April 1. And today there's this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNLkcOqQSBM

Okay I am 100% in favor of this

Yeah, this sounds great

this is lovely

Totally great. Starting new thread!

As promised:

Pet Shop Boys -- Super (another Stuart Price production)

this is gonna be a massively unpopular opinion but some days I kinda think this is the best album these Pet Shop Boys ever did

I'm too much of a Please/Actually partisan to agree but I could pretty easily say it's top 5; sometimes depending on my mood it's top 3.

for me it's this, Behaviour and Very in the top 3, then Actually, then idk Bilingual Introspective and Please

damn y'all

This and Fundamental are both top tier Pet Shop Boys, IMO, and as good as anything they did 1986-1993. Bilingual remains criminally misunderstood, too.

"Thursday" is one of their greatest songs.

Yup, still love Chris' bit on that. Also, when those synths kick in on 'Vocal' ...

I still like Super a lot... perhaps not as much as Electric, but there's a hell of a lot of good stuff on there.

Thursday and Pop Kids are probably the PSB songs I've listened to the most in the past decade. Love them both.

Except Hey Headmaster. Whenever I can't think of something to listen to, I'm like "Fuck it I'll listen to Hey Headmaster again."

It is a ridiculously strong album, this.

the nervous breakdown on "Shouting in the Evening" is so good

'Shouting in the Evening' fucking bangs... love that track. Wish it was longer.

total PSB dilettante here but damn if LIABC isn't one of the tracks of the last decade most firmly seared into my brain, as well as one of the most successful interpolations of classical music in pop history

yeah its exactly what I hoped they'd be doing since I heard the "Go West" cover

I played the shit out of that track so much in 2013 that it should be beyond overplayed to me by now, but I still love it. I love how clean the production is on Electric ... Super sounds muddier for some reason.

A friend burned this for me when it came out that I listened to once and filed away. Picked up a CD copy from a local store this morning and listened to the whole thing in the car for the first time since then. Didn't make much of an impression on me then, still doesn't. "Thursday"'s pretty good.

daaaamn does this album jam, especially after a few listens to the new one.

Easily one of their best. Had another go at Super recently and just couldn't bear it though, what a drop-off.. Hotspot was much more back on track

Super's a drop-off, but Hotspot hasn't got a single memorable track.

Not even Will‐o‐the‐wisp? Love that one

I don't remember anything from Hotspot either. Super was kinda fun but yeah not great. Electric on the other hand is definitely one of their best, up there with Behavior and Very for me

I really enjoyed Super, particularly the last three tracks

This is a jam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1nUIN_Vp3c

^^^ exactly what I’m talking about

I soured on ILM favorite "The Pop Kids" fast, though. It scans awkwardly.

(from the new Record Collector interview)

At the closing ceremony of the London Olympics, a global audience watched them being cycled around the Olympic stadium on chariots. Also appearing at the ceremony was George Michael, who had remained friends with Pet Shop Boys ever since Tennant interviewed Wham! for Smash Hits. “There was sort of a panicky rehearsal,” recalls Tennant, “because all the people working there were volunteers. There were a lot of selfies going on with One Direction. And so, we went back to our dressing rooms for a quiet half-hour before getting ready to do it live. The person in the dressing room next to ours was playing music really loudly on a stereo system, and I said to our tour manager, ‘Can you go and tell them to turn that down, or preferably turn it off?’ He said, ‘It’s George Michael,’ and I said, ‘Well, you can still tell him to turn it down!’ Next thing we know, the door’s flung open, George Michael comes in and says, ‘Did you ask me to turn my music down?’ I said, ‘Yes, I fucking did!’ And he said, ’Give me a hug’ – very sweet – then he went back to his room and played West End Girls very loudly.” It would be the last time they met. “He reminded me a bit of me, slightly geeky,” Tennant decides. “He once came up to me in the Wag Club when Opportunities came out. He said, ‘I think you should have the middle bit in twice.’ I immediately thought, He’s right.”

In the first Chris Heath book, George Michael is spotted by the soundstage dancing enthusiastically and shouting back the words to "Left To My Own Devices."