Pet Shop Boys – Christmas (a J!-ENT World Groove Digital Single Review)

An enjoyable Christmas EP from the Pet Shop Boys featuring a new version of their 1997 fan club song “It Doesn’t Often Snow at Christmas” and a cover of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” and Madness song “My Girl”.  A solid Holiday EP for Pet Shop Boys fans!

GROUP: Pet Shop Boys

DIGITAL ALBUM: Christmas EP

LABEL: Astralwerks – Caroline

DURATION: 22:34

RELEASE DATE: December 15, 2009

I admit that I was quite surprised to see a Pet Shop Boys Christmas EP out for the holidays and what an enjoyable EP it turned out to be.

“Christmas” kicks off with the song “It Doesn’t Often Snow At Christmas”, a new version of the 1997 song that was an exclusive for the group’s fan club.  The latest version of the song features a collaboration with Marius de Vries.  I enjoyed de Vries work with The Sugarcubes and most recently for the film “Easy Virtue”.  Overall, an upbeat track but if anything, it’s the Pet Shop Boys lyrics that are quite meaningful and witty.  An enjoyable Christmas track!

The second single “My Girl” is a cover of the Madness song.  An upbeat synth-driven track that has that old school Pet Shop boys feel to it!  A pretty fun track!

The third track “All over the world (new version)” is slightly different from the version featured on their album “Yes” (which was released back in April).  This time the song features a Christmas theme and orchestral and brass accompaniment.  The song was another collaboration with Marius de Vries.

The fourth track is quite interesting as it is a cover of Coldplay’s Vida la vida and also features a medley of their 1988 Pet Shop Boys hit “Domino Dancing”.  A surprise cover that I wasn’t expecting but overall, it was a pretty cool cover track!

The final track features an “Our House Mix” of the Pet Shop Boys cover of the Madness song “My Girl”.  An upbeat synth-driven track.

If you’re a fan of the group, the fact that we’re getting a Christmas EP not long after their release of their “Beautiful People” single is pretty cool and found the tracks to be fun and really enjoyable.  Overall, this latest holiday EP release from the Pet Shop Boys is pretty solid. Definitely worth checking out!

Pet Shop Boys – Did You See Me Coming? (a J!-ENT World Groove Digital Single Review)

“Catchy and addictive, the latest CD single from the Pet Shop Boys shows us how the group has continued to remain musically consistent for over two decades.  The single also features a track consisting of their hit songs from over two decades.  For Pet Shop Boys fans, ‘Did You See Me Coming? is another wonderful release!”

GROUP: Pet Shop Boys

DIGITAL SINGLE: Did You See Me Coming?

LABEL: Astralwerks – Caroline

DURATION: 16:03

RELEASE DATE:  June 9, 2009

BUY THIS CD SINGLE

1. Did You See Me Coming?
2. The former enfant terrible
3. Pet Shop Boys “Brits” Melody

The UK electronic pop music duo, Pet Shop Boys (main vocalist Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe on keyboards/guitar) are back with a new CD single titled “Did You See Me Coming?”, the sceond single from their tenth album “YES”.

2009 has been a good year thus far for the duo as they received an award for “Outstanding Contribution to Music” at the 2009 BRIT Awards and will always be known for their 80′s hits “West End Girls”, “It’s a Sin” and “Always on My Mind”.

For their digital single, “Did You See Me Coming?” is a solid track that utilizes guitar and synth but it’s an overly catchy, addictive song.  Upbeat and happy, a very good example of a commercial Pet Shop Boys track.  A solid track!

The second track “The former enfant terrible” is an example of the Pet Shop Boys not-so-commercial track (not included on their album “YES”) and a track that showcases Chris Lowe’s experimentation of music.  Underlying deep synth bass grooves.

The third track is “Pet Shop Boys “BRITS” melody”, a track which the group performed at the 2009 BRIT Awards back in February.  Overall, a wonderful melody of popular Pet Shop Boys hits from the last 23 years.  A great addition to the their latest single.

Overall, similar to like Madonna and Depeche Mode, the Pet Shop Boys managed to keep their longetivity and still are able to crank out music for over two decades.  But unlike Madonna and Depeche Mode which have changed their music, the Pet Shop Boys continue to remain consistent with their original sound.  The guys were known for experimentation with their non-commercial tracks but for the most part, their more commercial tracks have been quite consistent for nearly 25 years.

“Did You See Me Coming?” continues that trend of consistency with a catch and addictive commercial track, bundled with an experimental non-commercial track and a pretty cool medley for those nostalgic of their classic hits.

Pet Shop Boys fans, definitely check this  digital single out!

Pet Shop Boys release their tenth studio album “Yes” in the US on April 21 on Astralwerks

One of the most iconic and influential pop acts in the world, Pet Shop Boys return with their tenth album and first for Astralwerks on April 21, 2009. In a career spanning over 2 decades, the duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have created some of the most beloved and recognizable hits in the world (West End girls, It’s a sin, New York City Boy, etc.), and sold over 30 million records. They’ve worked with artists like Dusty Springfield, David Bowie, Liza Minnelli, Robbie Williams, Electronic, The Killers and Madonna. In the USA, Pet Shop Boys are the fourth most successful artist in the history of the Billboard dance charts (behind Madonna, Donna Summer and Janet Jackson).

Filled with sparkling state of the art pop songs, Yes is an affirmation of the duo’s knack for mixing innovative artistry with exuberant commercial appeal. Produced by the acclaimed Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Cher, Kylie Minogue, Saint Etienne), the album features guitar work by ex-Smith Johnny Marr and orchestral arrangements by Owen Pallett (Last Shadow Puppets, Final Fantasy).

Never far from the public eye, Pet Shop Boys have been very busy lately: producing a #1 UK dance hit for Sam Taylor-Wood (released on the ultra-hip Kompakt label), remixing a track for Lady GaGa and co-writing the hit UK single The Loving Kind for Girls Aloud. They are also working on a ballet, and were honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the Brit Awards last month. You can check out their performance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OAlTWrNN6o

“We can’t seem to remember how we came up with the title Yes,” says Neil. “Our official story is that we may have taken it from the famous Yoko Ono exhibition in 1967 where you had to climb up a step ladder – as John Lennon famously did – pick up a magnifying glass, look at a tiny word written on the ceiling, and the word was ‘yes’. I think it partly came from that.” (Chris adds: “We thought No was a bit negative.”)
Tracklisting:
Love etc*
All over the world
Beautiful people
Did you see me coming?
Vulnerable
More than a dream*
Building a wall
King of Rome
Pandemonium
The way it used to be*
Legacy

* written by Tennant/Lowe/Xenomania
The release of Yes will be preceded by the single “Love etc”. Pet Shop Boys describe the song as “a post-lifestyle anthem which sounds like nothing we’ve done before.” See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InBiaRBUjUs

There will also be a limited edition version of the album featuring a bonus disc with ‘This used to be the future’ an exclusive track featuring Phil Oakey (Human League) and 6 dub mixes produced by Xenomania (‘More than a dream’, Pandemonium’, ‘The way it used to be’, ‘All over the world’, ‘Vulnerable’, ‘Love etc.’).

In the pop collaboration of the year, Pet Shop Boys team up with producers Xenomania for their new studio album Yes which will be released on Parlophone on March 23

The single ‘Love Etc’ is release on March 16

In what is surely the pop collaboration of 2009, PET SHOP BOYS have teamed up with the hit production team Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Gabriella Cilmi etc) for their new studio album, “Yes”, which will be released on March 23rd.

Pet Shop Boys, who will receive the Outstanding Contribution To Music award at this years Brit Awards on February 18th, co-wrote three of the eleven new tracks on the album with Xenomania. The other tracks were written by Tennant/Lowe with a little assistance from Tchaikovsky on “All Over the world”. The album was produced by Brian Higgins/Xenomania.

Chris Lowe comments: “This album is amazing and it was great working with Xenomania!” Neil Tennant says: “It’s a fantastic, wide-ranging, pop record.”

Johnny Marr plays guitar on several tracks and orchestral arrangements on “Beautiful people” and “Legacy” are by Owen Pallett (Last Shadow Puppets, Final Fantasy).

The album track listing is as follows (* written by Tennant/Lowe/Xenomania):

Love etc *
All over the world
Beautiful people
Did you see me coming?
Vulnerable
More than a dream *
Building a wall
King of Rome
Pandemonium
The way it used to be *
Legacy
The release of “Yes” will be preceded by the single “Love etc” on March 16. Pet Shop Boys describe the song as “a post-lifestyle anthem which sounds like nothing we’ve done before.”

Pet Shop Boys are currently planning a very special performance at the Brit Awards in February. They have also co-written with Xenomania the current Girls Aloud single “The Loving Kind; the two groups met when both were recording at Xenomania’s studio in Kent.