Nightlife is the 11th release by cultural icons the Pet Shop Boys…..it is the 7th release by the duo of all new recorded material. The release features a wide variety of musical sound…..Hard Trance, Dance Pop. Disco and even a slight Country sound. The release also features a wonderful duet with pop Diva Kylie Minogue. Released in 1999, this was a huge return to form for the group…the release sold a staggering 1.2 million copies worldwide and reminded the world that the Pet Shop Boys were waaaayyyyy more than a one hit wonder.
For Your Own Good—–The song teases from the onset…..the build up is slow, but the PSB fan knows that something brilliant is about to occur…and it does. This track is a romp through pure pop/trance heaven…the voice is so disembodied while the music is swirling and warm. This is freakin’ brilliant…one of my favorite tracks on this release, the overdubs and background vocals only add to the ecstatic qualities of the song. This is damn near brilliant…why is this band not huge??
Closer To Heaven—-Apparently written for a stage play that never occurred, the fans of the band were the ones who triumphed by the demise of said play…..the music is classic….the vocal is classic….this is classic!!! The joy I felt with this song…the underlying sadness of the low hum….it keeps you on the edge of your seat. This duo can do no wrong in my book. Seeming to contain elements of earlier hits, the synth plays back and forth between a familiar sound and something wonderfully new. Tennant sings in an upper register that is seldom heard anymore….the result is a huge dance floor excursion that you can lose yourself in…the lights swirl and the voice envelops you…you are now a lost cause. Freakin’ Wonderful!!!!
I Don’t Know What You Want But I Can’t Give It Anymore—-Beautifully orchestrated from the onset, it is not long before the full disco feel of the song emerges. Tennant falls back in the classic Al Stewart….talk/sing style of delivery with his vocal. The dance grooves are remakable…even for a rather sedate song….you can move to this song solo or with a romantic partner equally. This is a brilliant and classic rendition of PSB material…..these are glory days set in modern time. Wonderful!!!
Happiness Is An Option—-Without a doubt, this is my favorite track from this release…the downbeat feel of the song is remarkable, Tennant delivers an even more disembodied feel to the vocal. The melodic qualities of the song emerge during the chorus and I promise that it will plant itself in your brain….especially at the end of the track when the Boys enter their trademark capability of giving you an added hook to think about. The duo vocal overlays are brilliant!!! This is beyond words….
You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk—-Kudos and awards for the song title alone….this is brilliant. Taking on a slight Country feel, the song even features a nice slide guitar sound. Neil delivers a vocal that seems so comfortable you at once wonder what the hell is going on…this is brilliant, versatile and wonderful all at once…a departure but sounding extremely comfortable this duo never fails to surprise and intrigue.
Vampires—One of the few songs by the Boys that I really do not like, the whole concert and idea of the song never appealed to me…same as the whole wig wearing thing during the tour for this release….why is all of that necessary when you make such quality music…I guess the song is meant to go along with the whole Nightlife theme…whatever…..just give me more of what I demand….this is acceptable, but lacks something for me.
Radiophonic—-Returning to the much more Electronic and trance oriented sound of the first track, this song is a pure romp through the kingdom of dance floors. This is damn near brilliant….Neil delivers a vocal that is distant yet screams of emotion…the music of Lowe drives you to near madness….the background chorus adds life to the song and makes it a classic 1:00 in the morning dance floor romp that you will look for time and time again.
The Only One—-Beginning with a beautiful piano interlude, the song has a thick and lush feel to it…a remarkable contrast to the previous track. Tennant actually sounds connected and emotional during the heartfelt delivery of the lyric. This is lush and wonderful…the song has a lot of things going on it at the same time, but it all comes together to make it a masterful and introspective PSB track…listen and think about the things he is espousing on.
Boy Strange—-From the onset, the song has a strange almost military feel to it….the arrangement is lush and full of thick sounds……the track dissolves into a ballad style delivery that is cl;assic…the low hum of sadness that runs through so many of the Boys songs actually comes to the forefront and you feel the true heaviness of the lyric…I’m not sure of the interpretation of the song….it just reminds me of childhood and travails…really nice!!
In Denial—-A ‘duet’ with superstar Kylie Minogue, this marked the beginning of the coming out of Neil Tennant…never again was he afraid to include really gay elements n the boys recordingsd….not that it was a big secret or anything. This is a brilliant tale of a relationship between a daughter and Dad that recognize the true nature of the other…a brilliant and tender song…..powerful and touching…this is a tide turning.
New York City Boy—-Perhaps the most Disco oriented song the band had issued since Go West, this is straight out of the Village People songbook. The backdrop voices are boys that dance in sailor uniforms and the lyric of Tennant reminds us of how it was growing up gay in the Midwest. We all wanted to be those boys….this is not to be in Toledo…..the vibe of the song is fun and estatic…live it is even better…this is freakin’ brilliant. A nice throw back to the Club Days!!!!
Footsteps—-Lush and full of all kinds of sounds, the chorus is featured at the onset of the song and sets the mood. Tennant delivers a voice that is so full of melancholy and sadness….it is almost a shock after the previous track. The arrangement is rich and layered giving the sound an almost dreamy quality….this is remarkable…I do not listen to this release often enough!!!
****3/4 out of 5
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