PSB've Got The Horn
Psychological
Neil and Chris open with, quite possibly, the weakest track on the album. The song's only real failing is in sounding too much like a Pet Shop Boys song - almost PSB by numbers. Fairly bland music accompanies underwhelming pseudo-paranoid lyrics. Psychological does, however, work in the context of the album as a whole. It contains allusions to some of the more prominent themes on the album (fear of terrorism, fear of loneliness, fear of Bush & Blair, fear of... etc) and succeeds in setting a tone of, well, fear, mistrust and persecution.
The Sodom And Gomorrah Show
Is this a contender for Neil's oldest point of reference? Either way, it's one of his most ingenius ideas for a song. The two ancient cities destroyed by God himself for their wrongdoings (most noticeably, as one can deduce fairly easily, sodomy) are transposed and built as a metaphor for, possibly, the act of coming out of the closet. One should never try to shield oneself from the joys and horrors of the world for it is only then that one can have truly lived. But with the Pet Shop Boys, it's never that simple and the song has much grander implications. Neil has acknowledged that he had 24-hour news channels in mind when writing the lyrics, so also manages to tackle the modern world's preoccupation and near revelment in death and destruction. The reference hidden in the lyric "Took it with a pinch of salt" is also, whether Neil knows it or not, a hidden gem. And all this lyrical richness is backed by a rousing and fresh electro-banquet. What more can anyone ask for?
I Made My Excuses And Left
The first weepy of the album begins with an ethereal air of mourning. The voice that can be heard is actually that of Chris Lowe. The story goes that Chris was walking home and this melody popped into his head, he dutifully recorded it on his mobile phone and a year later that very recording is being used as the intro to this poignant tale. This song is also the first of the album on which the lads display their newfound love of strings and God they are beautiful. Weaved masterfully into both the vocals and synths, they are quite simply heartbreaking. After such an opulent lyric on the previous song, Neil brings it back to basics: Walking in on someone you love with someone else. He also manages to imbue a charming and natural clumsy Englishness onto it. A kind of temporary innocence and regression. When describing the occurence, one can cut the uneasiness with a knife. The strings again serve as a contrast to the exterior - the protagonist wishes he could have been that elegant and stately, but alas gracelessly retreated only to later regret it. It is for exactly this type of song that Neil and Chris are unforgivingly underappreciated and overlooked.
Minimal
Almost like "Shopping" on drugs (that's not shopping on drugs, by the way, which I'm not condoning), this is an accesibly fun pounding number sure to be a hit at clubs across the land. Can't really be faulted, as it serves it's purpose excellently. The lyrics may have the intent of taking the piss out of modern have-a-go philosophers, but they're so abstruse it's hard to find any substantial ideas to cling on to and perhaps that was the intent. No one wants to think on the dance floor. However, if we keep it in the context of the album's major themes, one can read into it as an attack on the idea of oversimplifying life as it is in itself a pointless objective. The song closes with a brilliant bass-lead outro which has no qualms about hiding it's influences. Nevertheless, when PSB can do New Order better than New Order can nowadays, who can argue?
Numb
"Numb" opens with, yet again, a magnificent arrangement of strings. In contrast to the last song also, Numb sees Neil and Chris go big. Bigger than ever before. Upon hearing the song first, I was perplexed as to how Neil would write a song like this. While epical and sweeping in nature, it has a certain simplicity and cliched quality not usually associated with PSB. What immediately came to mind was Aerosmith's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing". It was to my shock that upon reading the credits, the song was written by Diane Warren - the same woman who wrote that very song. How does one marry these two diametrically opposite entities? A woman who churns out hits like some over-zealous crackwhore and one of the greatest pop duos ever? Strangely (ever so strangely) the song works exceedingly well. If one takes it as a straightfroward emotional ballad, it delivers on everything: Universal lyrics, emotive music, long running time, numerous ascents and decents... However, if one takes it in the context of the album as a whole (yet again), it develops another incredibly interesting layer. It could possibly serve as a portrayal and indictment of life as we know it. The world is closing in and some people's only option is to retreat inside themselves and close off. A kind of self-lobotomisation in the face of an overwhelming tide of hatred and pain - whether it be personal or global. It is in this double interpretation that Neil and Chris reveal yet another feather to their bow and reinforce their status as geniuses.
God Willing
Serving as an overture to the next track, what's most interesting about this instrumental is the title. What can one read into two little words? Well, as I have already said 800 times, if one takes it in the broader context of the album's themes, it could be viewed as a criticism of the ever increasing theocracy of the US and Middle East. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...
Luna Park
Neil himself has said that the Luna Park the song describes is America. Following from that, one can take pleasure in the act of joining the dots and making one's own connections between real life and the lyrics. By using a theme park as a metaphor for the most powerful nation on earth, Neil automatically connotes a nation of entertainment junkies concerned with nothing other than self-aggrandisation and self-enjoyment. There is no doubt that to us Europeans, America can often seem like one giant theme park. A land of bright lights and shiny happy people. The idea behind theme parks is to get away from life's troubles and become a child again temporarily. In designating America a theme park, Neil places it in a permanent state of youth and nescience - which is true. America, lest we forget, is only just over 200 years old. A mere infant. If it continues in it's path of wanton destruction, the worst is in store ("A storm will come one day/To blow us all away"). The song works splendidly and is incredibly atmospheric thanks in large part to the musical backdrop of classic sounding synths and storm effects, which only add to a permanent state of unspoken anxiety and impending peril.
I'm With Stupid
Thankfully one of the album's weaker tracks. Rather uneventful and plain, but a solid single choice which ensures radio play. The song's charm lies in it's effortless wit and multiple meanings. Obviously, it's about the relationship between Blair and Bush, but it's the double entendres, reasonably interesting understanding of the actual relationship and homoerotic undertones that make this more complex. Cleverly, Neil actually makes note of the fact that Bush is really much more intelligent than he lets on ("Is stupid really stupid/Or a different kind of smart?") and thus addresses the increasingly fickle nature of politics.
Casanova In Hell
Already being touted as the hidden gem of the album and one that many will cite as their favourite, "Casanova In Hell" is a glorious conceit. It renders the man in old age, with his legendary charm and looks fading. Casanova now, living as a shadow of his former self, sets out to write his memoirs. In doing so he can not only relive his past conquests, but also cement them in history and thus exist forever as a virile sybarite. Upon realising this, Casanova regains his confidence, and perhaps his erection, in the last verse. The dual climax of the vocal melody and the music act as a genius parallel to the lyrics.
Twentieth Century
At first this seemed rather unimpressive, but has grown on me quite considerably. What strikes me most about this song is how different it is lyrically to the rest - not in theme, but in resolution. If this were more typical of a PSB song, Neil would have a middle eight which has some kind of lyrical conclusion. Instead, it remains more flat and consistent. What this song does well is continue a pattern in Neil's songwriting - making the big small. Here, the failings of political ideals in the twentieth century are made comparable to the failings of a relationship. The message of perseverance and optimism seems to be buried in here somewhere ("Sometimes the solution/Is worse than the problem/Let's stay together").
Indefinite Leave To Remain
With a sumptuous brass intro sounding "like the Hovis advert", Neil again makes the big small in this track. The issue of immigration acts as a metaphor for finding someone who loves you. The funny thing is that the term indefinite leave to remain is so bound to bureaucracy, it takes a genius such as PSB to turn it into a thing of such beauty. The sting in the tail, however, is that even if the nation or lover brings an end to their ambivalence, the protagonist is still in a state of flux. Their relationship is still just for an "indefinite" period of time. But, perhaps "indefinite" love is better than none at all (as Saint Augustine nearly said).
Continued Below