|
NIGHTSPOTS
|
|
|
DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE
NEVER BEING BORING, PET SHOP BOYS TURN UP THE BPM ON ELECTRIC
by Marc mo 2013-07-10
|
|
This article shared 3670 times since Wed Jul 10, 2013
|
|
Being a Pet Shop Boys fan isn't the hardest job in the world, but some fans seem to think so. Much like the ebb and flow of love/hate we see with a new Kylie Minogue single or Madonna remix, each new Pet Shop Boys release in the past 30 years warrants huge discussions among their mostly over-35 gay-male fan base, and none of it is very consistent.
Most either fall into the "Actually" crowd or the "Very" camp; the former being the more lush, wordy and wise, softer side helmed by the Noel Coward-influenced Neil Tennant style; and the latter coming from the club love of their "Silent Bob," Chris Lowe. Last year's Elysium fell so hard (pun intended) into the chill Actually pocket, that you either heard hurrahs or boos, depending on your leaning, but not too many in-betweens. Many of the more dance-oriented fans were left bewildered by the languid, subtle CD, but now with the pending release of their new CD, Electric, Elysium's extreme seems to make more sense.
Electric is a full speed ahead dance event and as "Chris" as Elysium was "Neil." If you've been craving a return to the clubs, this is it. It starts with the first teaser instrumental single, "Axis," laying down a solid Acid House Rave vibe, then going Detroit techno with the oddly named "Bolshy," then popping squarely back to their "Very" era with "Love is a Bourgeois Concept," (which is just this side of Go West and Yesterday When I Was Mad). There's a small misstep with what sounds like a warped Avicii record, "Fluorescent." But then it picks back up again with the "Love Comes Quickly-Remixed" vibe of "Inside a Dream," and the too-poppy-not-to-be-a-single "The Last To Die." Then, wrapping up the disc is the manic return to rave, "Shouting In the Evening;" the album's most Pet-Shop-Boyish, mid-eighties disco, "Thursday (featuring Example);" and the latest single, "Vocal," a blatant, almost winkingly overt attempt at Top 40. Overall, I can't see either camp complaining about this, their most satisfying since Fundamental and easily within the top releases of their career.
Electric by Pet Shop Boys hits US shores July 16. |
|
|
|
This article shared 3670 times since Wed Jul 10, 2013
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | COBRAH slithers into Chicago and brings Feminine Energy 2024-03-08 - COBRAH snaked her way into Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., for two nights March 7 and 8 for her Succubus Tour. This Swedish-born talent has a way with naughty words and ...
|
| | Asians and Friends welcomes the Year of the Dragon 2024-02-26 - On the evening of Feb. 25, Asians and Friends kicked off the Lunar New Year with their annual dinner and celebration at Pho Viet Vietnamese Restaurant. This year's event was focused on this being the Year ...
|
| | Looking back at Chicago LGBTQ+ community's stand against Anheuser-Busch 2024-01-30 - As conservatives across the country boycotted Anheuser-Busch products for Bud Light's partnership with trans woman Dylan Mulvaney in 2023, LGBTQ+ bars in Chicago removed their products for a different reason. Following the deeply negative response to ...
|
| | Berlin Nightclub closes after nearly 40 years, following boycott 2023-11-21 Decades of Photo Archives below - After nearly forty years, Berlin Nightclub, 954 W. Belmont Ave., officially closed its doors Nov. 19 following a months-long fight between its owners and unionized workers. Owners Jim Schuman and Jo Webster officially announced Berlin Nightclub's ...
|
| | Happy Hail-loween: Rough weather doesn't get the better of Haunted Halsted revelers 2023-11-03 - The 26th annual Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade returned for the 26th time on Oct. 31. Attendees were challenged by a mix of rain, snow and hail as they marched down Halsted Street from Belmont Avenue towards ...
|
| | Berlin Nightclub workers urge customers to boycott as they fight for fair contract 2023-10-31 - Berlin Nightclub workers are calling for people to boycott the LGBTQ+ club while they push for their first contract, which they hope will include increased wages and access to healthcare. Berlin Nightclub workers unionized in April ...
|
| | MIR's Intergalactic Rubber celebration soars to a suburb not too far way 2023-10-27 Photos by Joseph Stevens - Mister International Rubber (MIR) 27, this year themed as Intergalactic Rubber, took off Oct. 19-22 from their new location at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton in Skokie. MIR26 Pusckatt Pumera Onyx stepped down and passed their ...
|
| | GAY HISTORY MONTH In the '60s, drag found a home in San Francisco's Glen Park 2023-10-02 - Special to Windy City Times. To mark Gay History Month, this article appears courtesy of the Bay Area Reporter. During the '60s most LGBTQ nightlife in San Francisco was centered in the northern neighborhoods of the ...
|
| | Nobody's Darling celebrates expansion into adjoining property with soft opening event 2023-09-24 - In the little over two years since its opening, Nobody's Darling in Andersonville has emerged as one of the premiere inclusive spaces to gather in Chicago. Nobody's Darling has become so successful that co-owners Angela Barnes ...
|
| | Chicago musician, producer and DJ Don Crescendo killed in Avondale stabbing 2023-09-20 - Chicago's LGBTQ+ nightlife community and allies have rallied around the family and close friends of local longtime musician, producer and DJ Rodney Donovan Taylor, a.k.a. Don Crescendo, in the wake of his death by stabbing last ...
|
| | MUSIC Kylie Minogue to debut Vegas residency this fall 2023-07-28 - The Venetian Resort Las Vegas revealed details surrounding its new 1,000-seat nightlife space, Voltaire, with the announcement of its first headlinerpop sensation and LGBTQ+ ally Kylie Minogue, a press release ...
|
| | Bears, cubs and their admirers return for Illinois Bear Contest 2023-04-11 - Visitors and Chicagoans gathered at Charlies Chicago, 3726 N. Broadway, on April 7 to kick off the Illinois Bear Contest weekend, the first since 2019. The contest itself took place the following evening at Leather Archives ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Trans musicians, NHL, 'Queen Charlotte,' Jinkx Monsoon, Anderson Cooper 2023-04-08 - The Face published an article about five trans musicians who should be on people's playlists. British queer nightlife legend Mya Mehmi said that those musicians include New York's Ms Boogie, London-based Harve, Arca, Ms. Carrie Stacks ...
|
| | Winners chosen in the International Puppy and Trainer Contest 2023-04-03 - The International Puppy & Trainer Contest was held in Chicago the weekend of March 31 to April 2 for the first time since 2019. The contest's Meet & Greet was held at Cellblock on March 31. The contest was hosted the ...
|
| | PASSAGES: Visual artist, Chicago nightlife scene drag performer legend and hairdresser Jojo Baby 2023-03-16 - Visual artist, Chicago nightlife scene drag performer legend, doll-maker and hairdresser Jojo Baby died March 14 of liver, lung and stomach cancer. They were 51. Baby was born April 10, 1971, in Chicago and grew up ...
| |
|
|
|
|