Yes, Pet Shop Boys

As a kid in the 80s, I was a huge fan of the Pet Shop Boys. My enthusiasm stayed with me through the 90s and studentdom. At the beginning of the 2000s, my interest waned somewhat - with the treading water excercise that was Nightlife and the not-entirely-succesful sidestep Release. In 2006 however, I was delighted by the return to form that was Fundamental, an album that would have been great even without its finale Integral; a diamond-edged, vitriol-coated switchblade of a pop song that was at once a career-high and perfect example of what the Pet Shop Boys do best.

Three years later and the successor to Fundamental is here: Yes. This is a far more 'pop' album that its darker predecessor, opening with the eminently danceable hit Love etc. and continuing with the same disco sensibility for most of the album. Though I like the Pet Shop Boys best when they're all bitter and twisted, that's no bad thing and Yes still finds room for songs with a little more depth, like the wonderful The way it used to be. Besides, even at their lightest, the Boys still make most modern pop groups look like puddles; as the aforementioned Love etc. notes, they don't have to be beautiful - but it helps.