this is my kind of music

Neil Tenant and Chris Lowe preview their forthcoming twelfth longplayer, with "Vocal". It's the second taste from "Electric" after they released the largely instrumental, Moroder-esque "Axis".

"Vocal" is classic PSB - subtle verses which harken back to early singles like "Rent" and "Love Comes Quickly" followed by an anthemic, ramped up chorus with lots of sparkly, buzzy synths which reminds me of their version of "It's Alright".

Actually, (Did you see what I did there?) - the song is devoid of the usual verse/chorus/repeat pattern and, instead, cycles the same melodic phrase several times over and ever increasing wall of drum sounds and sythy goodness. Also, it never devolves into a typical and tired EDM formula. Kudos to knob twiddler deluxe, Stuart Price, for keeping it fresh for very Boys.

There's also an accompanying video which was just dropped a few days ago. Featuring a collage of dance footage, it evokes memories of the rave era of the early 90s. It almost like dropping a visual tab of E. Almost.



Best PSB single since "Leaving" from their previous elpee, "Elysium". FYI, my favorite part is the wiggly, pitch bendy synth line that only appears three short times in the track. Brilliant!

Back to "Axis" for a moment. After some online discussion with my circle of discophile friends, I thought it would make sense to reference the more direct inspiration for the track. Take a listen to "Menergy" by Patrick Cowley. While "Axis" has more than a passing flash of Giorgio Moroder's Germanic inspiration within it, "Menergy" is the more direct link.



Chris and Neil really know how to needle drop the most interesting references in their songs. Plus, Mr. Cowley deserves a round of applause for his substantial contribution to dance music. Perhaps the coda to this entry will point people in the direction of his work if they aren't familiar with it.