Mixing simplicity and lavish orchestration and a classic 80s synth pop that made them so successful, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe return with their first LP for fours and one of their best for some time, with yet another traditional single-word title, and cover art that looks like a cross between Gilbert and George with a dash of Rene Magritte. Overall there’s a sense of nostalgia and beautiful melancholy alongside try wit, storytelling, and serene melodies, and here’s an extra sheen the help of super-producer James Ford, and fabulous strings from Elysian Collective. Highlights include the opener Loneliness, specificially about that of a closet homosexual, with a homoerotic video to match, Dancing Star, is a classic Pet Shop three-minute biopic and tribute to a famous figure, in this case Rudolf Nureyev. Then there’s A New Bohemia, which has fabulous key changes and gets the full orchestral treatment, the double-edged utopia of The Schlager Hit Parade (“Glühwein, Wurst and Sauerkraut /Sun and Sangria / We're speeding on a speedboat / We're heading off to Shangri-La / The future is the present now / Music must be played / It's always Christmas or the sound of summer / In the Schlager hit parade”), the bossa nova rhythm and romantic swoon of The Secret of Happiness, to the familiar territory disco beats of Why Am I Dancing (“I can feel tears in my eyes / Are they really justified?”) or A Bullet For Narcissus. Back at the top of their game. Out on Parlophone / x2 Recordings.
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