Release (with Bonus CD)
The Pet Shop Boys eighth studio albumRelease, though not the rock album it was purported to be, does have enough guitar (courtesy of ex-Smithsguitarist Johnny Marr) and percussion to create a sound that's as sumptuous as it is unexpected. It may raise a few snooty eyebrows among synth purists, but this twosome has never really been an electronic band in the purest sense. Neil Tennant's voice is less nasal than it's often been, and the occasional use of that now ubiquitous vocal-wobbling effect (thanks,Cher) actually works very well with his trademarked, introspective-yet-precious lyrics. While there are no big sing-along anthems here, and nothing that screams "single" (with the exception of the Beatles-esque "I Get Along"), almost all of the 10 tracks are the kind of inventive pop that many better-selling artists seem incapable of producing these days. It's a return to the form that went slightly iffy somewhere betweenBehaviorandNightlife, and deserves to catapult Pet Shop Boys back to the top of the album charts for a very long time. Unfortunately, it's probably too clever for such a happy fate. NOTE: The bonus cd included with this limited edition contains remixes of tracks fromNightlife, as well as several different versions of the single "Home and Dry."--Rikki Price