8th May 2004
Pet Shop Boys
Release
(Parlophone)

It's no surprise that men comfortably in their 40's haven't created another hi-energy stomping dance-athon or mega-pop album. After a career spanning 18 years the Pet Shop Boys have decided to try something a bit different.

Out with the big production, dancey sounds and mid song theatrical melodrama of tracks like "Go West" and "New York City Boy", in with a more guitar based songwriting and melancholic, mature sound.

Release starts off quite solidly with recent single "Home and Dry" and the sing-along, lighter waving in the air, end-of-the night song "I'll Get Along" but then takes a terrible turn at "Birthday Boy". Strangely inspired by Michael Owen's birthday and Jesus, the track is a wishy-washy ballad with dodgy guitar solo (albeit from top former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr) and bleak and moody soundscape which borders on uncomfortable listening.

"Tell it like it is," Neil Tennant emplores on the next track "London". OK then, it's another gawd awful song. One of the joys of the Pet Shop Boys was their wit and ironic sense of humour but this is sadly missing on much of Release. What was once often fun and entertaining has been replaced with sober tales of woe and heartache, which is fine& if you want to be left feeling depressed!

There are a few breaths of fresh air on the album though - "The Samurai In Autumn" is a great track (primarily thanks to it's lack of many lyrics offers a break of Neil's voice for a little while) where the band venture briefly back into chilled, yet euphoric dance production. "The Night I Fell in Love", with it's tongue in cheek lyrics about a boy fan's one night stand with Eminem, also raises a brief smile but not enough to forget the remainder of the album's sins.

With an established career spanning so long, taking such a change of direction and become an ageing rock band is bound to be a gamble but this is one that failed to pay off. Bland and uninspiring - file it under, 'music your parents might like'.

er: Jacqueline Hodges


Read other people's comments then Tell us what you think:

the band is so cool and i enjoied all the moments
ali azad, u s a

I bought the Release album as soon as I heard it was available and after a couple of plays I thought that Jacqueline Hodges' on the BBC site was very unfair on the boys. The album has shown yet another angle that the Pet Shop Boys have approached to make an album and I have to say that's it's been done brilliantly. This is definately one of the Pet Shop Boys' best albums so far. All in all, it's just down to personal taste, so don't let one duff like the one mentionned above be enough to persuade you not to go buy this album. It's fantastic. Well done Chris and Neil !
Jon Gibbins, Hull University

I love the new songs,,,I'm positively hooked. "Home and Dry" is just awesome and such a perfect song. I also love "Always" and "Samurai in Autumn". I highly recommend this album (the limited edition 2 cd one).
Phyllis Pandolfo, Jersey City, NJ

there is no bad song with the pet shop boys. The new album is great just like the first one. Only good music can be heard from good peopla
Tony, Chicago

There no doubt that this is the pet shop boys finest album (with the exception of Behaviour) - I strongly disagree with the er; the song she likes best is the "The Samurai In Autumn" which I think is the worst song. The "Jesus" track is simply a masterpiece!! The album is very "pet shop boys" despite the more guitary feel, thanks mainly to the unique style of Neil’s vocals - by far the best album of last year!!
Trevor Ormiston

Does this mean I'm going to have to listen to pet shop boys constantly for the next three months?
Jon Gibbins's girlfriend, UK

This is so classy,they have again written another master-piece,they are along with Sparks the best duo of all time
Terry Murray London

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. I used to love them, now I merely love their memory.
Andy, Londinium

I didn't listen this album,but I think that it would be great and fantastic and a great hit like the other ones/one.........An example is the song,the ingretible song-The New York City Boy.Just listen it........................
Olga Limassol Cyprus

i cant even imagine how the world of music could be without pet shop boys.they are allways perfect and ifter more than 20 years they are still fresh and full of talent.i wanna give my best regards to them and say that you r always on my mind...thank you guys
mahbod bazrafshan- iran

Clearly this album is different from the last, but they all ways are with these boys. As for Birthday Boy this is one of the best songs on the album. Not for dancing to but fantasic as always. Thanks for the music Neil & Chris.
Daniel Talbot England

I have always loved the PSB ever since the late 80's ! I adore and love them ! Keep going Neil and Chris and don't forget to come to Zurich or Basle next year for yet another smashing concert ! ICH LIEBE EUCH :):):) !!!!!!
Belinda Schmid, Switzerland

I have always loved the Boys and have all the albums at home. I specially love Neil`s voice, and most of the songs are absolutely fantastic. Go Boys , we love you *****
BITA from New Zealand

Jacqueline Hodges's is the perfect example of the kind of jingoistic, self-important lipstick-on-toilet paper scrawl that is killing off real journalism : cliched, self-conscious and totally predictable. Anyone who can say 'Pet Shop Boys' and 'Ironic' in the same breath without flinching has obviously read too many s and is trying as hard as possible to sound exactly the same. I wonder if she'd even heard of them before last week. This album rocks. Hope to God J.H. never decides to switch careers to pop music.
david london

being a die-hard pet shop boys fan, i regret to say that i was disappointed with RELEASE. home and dry is one of the few tracks i fell in love with. perhaps it was my expectations that affected my opinions; i was expecting hot tracks like those in NIGHTLIFE, and listening from that perspective, i was really disappointed. however i can see how people would like the album, as it is extremely melodic. just not for my taste. i do applaud the PSB for being innovative and expressing their talent in a different way than before. i await their next release in the hopes that i'll listen to it 24/7 like their previous ones.
Tina, USA

Sice the first time I heard one of their singles which namen is "It's a sin" I immediatelly fell in love with the music of the Pet Shop boys, I started to buy all their albums and I have always tried to get any single detiail of them. I bought this new realese and I liked very much I'd like to have all those realeses albums even those which are on special edition that weren't sold to the general public. I´m really glad to know that the Pet Shop Boys will realese the new DVD compilation and the new PopArt album. I will buy them as soon as I see them on the music shop. Oscar Reyes Cuevas, México
OSCAR REYES CUEVAS

This album is a great album by the Pet Shop Boys. I rember getting Actually and saying yo this hot stuff. By the way The Pet Shop Boys Rock!!!!!!!!!
Rattrap

I just don't understand the s. Seriously. I tried, but I just can't find anything to dislike about Release. A large majority of these songs ARE single materials, great, catchy melodies. This is a good album and this is honestly, by no means, a sympathy vote.
Tom, Canada

Release is just that, a release from total pop synth, albeit a change in style that is obviously different from what they have done in the past. If they had made this album 10 years ago it would have probably done better - but how controversially panned was Behaviour? If you are around for as long as they have been, it's not experimenting nor progressing but reacting to the current chart climate - this one was made when it was all clinical pop bands i.e pop idol, like Very was made when it was all Oasis and Blur. I enjoyed it, because it sounds good on the radio.
Paul - Kent UK

What a poor ! She should have left the page blank. I think everyone sees it a privilege to bust down PSB what's wrong with Release? Because it is not campy as Nightlife or Very? Because it is not satiric, biting like Actually? Because it is not sophisticated, self-inquiring like Bilingual? Yes. it is not at all any of these. It stands on its own and stands very well. Except for the Night I fell in love, (sorry PSB this is the poorest song you have ever recorded), the album is a five-star one. What a pity ers do not understand high-quality music as is the case with today's youth? By the way I wonder what will they bash about the Popart, one of the greatest compilation releases of all times?
Haris Baki, Turkey

I love most of the songs on this album, esp. the two that Ms. Hodges singled out as "gawd awful". What I respect about PSB is their ability to take on the next project with freshness and without fear of retreading the past. I'm sorry, but the BBC er above just has a ridiculous perspective. Release is sober and velvety warm. That doesn't somehow imply that it's without risks, esp. in view of the synth anthems that built their careers before this.
Corey, USA

I love PSB very much. I love their all songs.Especially "New York City Boy
Gihan,Sri Lanka.

One can only respect the pet shop boys for producing such delightful music.. I do have to say though that samurai in automn was awful. other than that, one can only give credit to the boys. 9/10 -samurai in automs was awful, hence the deduction of 1 point ;-)-sorry boys-
Ali Shalil.., The Hague

Not their finest. They peaked in 1987 Actually...but this is a modern offering which feels contemporary. Yes the "boys" have slowed down since the 80's and they may not be writing classics like "Shopping" and "Rent" anymore but we forgive them because underneath that pretentious exterior they are so unpretentious. Underneath that cold face beats a warm heart. Hooray for The Pet Shop Boys! May they continue to grow and offer us their generous talent for many more years to come. 9/10
Lee, Southampton

Since Behaviour they seemed to have lost their way a little and got a bit too involved in sort of a Euro dance sound. Some of it was good but by and large I felt a little let down by it. Release sees them back to what they do best, releasing good pops songs. They always seem to do it in a way that makes each album different but keeps them on the same musical path and appeals to those in the era of it's release. Keep it up.
Matt, UK

After "Nightlife
Azmil,Kuala Lumpur