Pet Shop Boys - Fundamental - Music & Performance - CD

With their feet firmly planted in the '80s, the Pet Shop Boys remind us that music is Fundamental on their new disc by that name. For this latest effort, the dynamic duo of Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant reunite with producer Trevor Horn, who whirled the knobs on their fourth album, 1988's Introspective.

The world has changed dramatically since then, but on Fundamental, the Pet Shop Boys remind us that much has stayed the same. Rich with the electronic music that makes every one of their albums a staple for the dance floor, the album comes off as being retro without being dated. This time around, they ease into that party, perhaps showing their age a bit but ultimately proving they're none the worse for the wear.

Instead of starting off with a shout, the Boys whisper their way into the album's beginning with "Psychological," a track that could just as easily have appeared on a Depeche Mode disc. The mood is dark and somber, driven by a catchy bass line that casts a fascinating shadow over the entire song. It's fitting that such a heavy-handed melody would accompany this song about the games played inside one's head, but it's also an unexpected way to kick off the album.

The duo ratchets it up to dance mode almost immediately, bringing back images of '80s excess with "The Sodom and Gomorrah Show." Destined to make the rounds at the nightclubs, this track features soaring electronics, pulsating dance rhythms and the Boys' signature vocals. Both thematically and musically, it gives a nod to their 1990 hit, "It's a Sin," which perhaps is a subtle reminder that anything worth doing is worth doing twice.

The energy is also high -- and retro -- for "Minimal," another dance-worthy number that is coated with '80s pop and employs many of the band's familiar techniques to tell its musical tale about the voids left behind in life. Ironically, this track about having next to nothing has one of the richer musical arrangements on the entire album.

Fundamental differs from its predecessors in that it indulges in thoughtful moods more often than any previous PSB disc has done. On songs like "Numb," "Luna Park" and "I Made My Excuses And Left," the mood is reflective and slow, which could disappoint anyone looking for back-to-back dance tracks. However, "slow" doesn't translate to "boring," and while these numbers don't have the frenetic energy of vintage Pet Shop Boys, they have something to say -- and do so quite well.

"I'm With Stupid" is their political dig at both Tony Blair and George W. Bush, and it's probably the most dance-ready political song ever to hit the airwaves. In the most danceable way possible, it rolls out the electronic red carpet and greets these two world powers with some rather pointed and unflattering observations.

"Integral" is the album's closer, and it's a definite showstopper. They couldn't have chosen a better way to drop the curtain on this album; it has every element that a Pet Shop Boys fan is looking for in a song. Layers of electronica help drive this track about learning your place in life. It's a lesson that the Pet Shop Boys obviously have mastered, and after all these years, they know that the best place for them is the dance floor. Mercifully, they are still comfortable there, as are the fans who follow the beat of their electronic drums.

By Paula Felps