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.

British electric foundation

It was only a matter of time, with the expulsion of Parlophone when Universal devoured EMI, that Pet Shop Boys would find themselves a new home for their recordings. And that's exactly what they did recently.

After a staggering 29 year relationship with the iconic UK label, Neil and Chris have parted ways with them and signed a deal with the ever-growing Kobalt Label Services. Such a sexy name, n'est-ce pas? It sounds like they are signed to an insurance company or a car manufacturer. Still, PSB have not had much luck with Parlophone over the last half-decade even in the face of career defining albums like "Yes".

Having just released "Elysium", their eleventh longplayer, only six months ago, ver Boys are on track to release their twelfth elpee, the suitably titled "Electric", this June. And by the sound of the snippet below, it's an electronic album with splashes of Giorgio Moroder, nu disco and trance. An update on the sound that made them popular nearly 30 (*cough*) years ago.

Certainly, it's more dance friendly than its mellowed out predecessor. This should be music to their fans' ears who, in general, found "Elysium" to be rather dull. Personally, I grew to love it after only a handful of listens. It was refreshing to hear PSB wrap themselves in a slightly different sonic soundscape.

Produced by electronic wunderkind, Stuart Price, "Electric" will be accompanied by a tour which is sure to feature quite a few tunes from the album, as well as a helping of songs from "Elysium". Here's a little taster of what to expect from the forthcoming PSB longplayer.

the price of the future

Stuart Price, one of the most in demand producers of the last ten years, has reswizzled "Memory Of The Future", the third single to be plucked from Pet Shop Boys current longplayer, "Elysium".

That's three singles in five months. At this rate, they will be on the next album, which is also supposed to be produce by Mr. Price, before the winter frost has melted.

"Memory Of The Future" will hit the "shops" on December 31, presumable to take advantage of the all important window between Christmas and the first two weeks of January when nobody typically releases singles unless they are looking for a higher than normal chart position.

It worked for ver Boys before. Remember "You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk"? They tried the same tactic then and were rewarded with the only top 10 single from their "Nightlife" album and their first one of the 00s.

Let's hope their fortunes turn around with "Memory For The Future". Their last three singles - "Leaving", "Winner" and "Together" - all failed to crack the top 40. Perhaps its the one word titles.

And they are no stranger to Stuart Price. He previously produced arrangements for the duo’s brilliant 2009 BRIT Awards performance and their Pandemonium tour. He also created the “Viva La Vida/Domino Dancing” mashup on their "Christmas" EP. They were bound to work with Stuart again. After all, he's married to their manager, Angela Becker.

While tracklistings have yet to be revealed, “Memory Of The Future” will be available across four configurations - two digital bundles and two CD singles.

one too many times to the well

Here's Duffy's latest single, "Well Well Well".

I hear you roll your eyes in sarcastic disinterest as if I had somehow posted something I didn't know was well past its sell by date.

Take a listen to it. Watch it. Srsly! Go ahead.



Her vocal affectation attacks my ears like a rabid cheese grater. Such a shame, as I really like "Rockferry", her debut platter.

Then, unknowingly, as my eyes flitted across the credits on the single sleeve, the following words sent my system into anaphylactic shock - "Co-produced by Stuart Price". *abrupt record scratch*

Stuart, babydoll. What's with this bit of slumming? Duffy must have paid him a sizable chunk of the cash she copped from her Coke commercial.

Please keep it cool, Stuart. We're watching.

my heart goes bang

It's all about a squadron of über-producers these days, innit? Greg Kurstin, Stuart Price, Mark Ronson, etc. You could be forgiven for thinking they are interchangeable. Each one takes cues from the past and weaves it with technology of the now, thus creating their own variations on a similar theme.

Also, each of them cut their teeth on being a bit of a reluctant pop star. So what do you do when you're not quite the frontman of your dreams? Hire the talent like you're ordering out for Chinese! Alternatively, use your talents wisely, produce other artists and strike pop gold.

While Mark Ronson was busy producing the next Duran Duran album, he was inspired to pull together the follow up to his previous longplayer, "Version". "Record Collection", which is credited to Mark Ronson & The Business International, is another all star potpourri of collaborations. However, this time all the songs on the album feature original material rather than cover versions.

First single, "Bang Bang Bang", just crashed into the UK top 10 singles chart at #6 with the combined efforts of Amanda Warner from MNDR and some old school, rap flava from Q-Tip. Both take turns mixing it up on the mic.

Here's the fabulous, 80s nerd chic video with a splash of Japanese superhero inspiration for good measure.



For the lingually impaired in our audience, "je te plumerai la tête" roughly translates as "I will pluck the hair from your head". How do I know that? Well, besides being an international traveler of fine distinction, j'ai étudié la langue sur le genou de ma grand-mère.

And there you have it, mes petits chatons.