Fundamental - Pet Shop Boys

This isn't going to be a typical review (you'll just have to accept that this is without doubt a brilliant album that anyone with even the slightest interest in pop music should add to their collection). What this is going to be is my attempt at explaining to you all just why Pet Shop Boys are the greatest pop band ever. I can already see some of you rolling your eyes and clicking on to the next web page...but I hope you don't. This blog has always been about showing you stuff about myself and, like it or not, this band has been an important part of my life.

Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have never been your typical fluffly air-head bubble-gum sort of pop act. Their songs are about real things and, on this album, vitally important things. The first single from 'Fundamental' was called 'I'm With Stupid'.

It's a perfectly crafted pop song that is an anti-war track...and how many of those do you hear these days? The 'I' of the title is Tony Blair and (natch) the 'stupid' is George Bush. The B-side is called 'The Resurrectionist' and it's about men who would steal bodies for the anatomy schools of 19th century London. The track is apparently inspired by the The Italian Boy by Sarah Wise. It's a high speed bit of dance/pop that total belies its subject matter.

My favourite track on 'Fundamental' is called 'Integral' and it's the most stridently political and scathing song the 'Boys have ever done. The proposed UK national ID card is the target:

If you've done nothing wrong
you've got nothing to fear
If you've something to hide
you shouldn't even be here
You've had your chance
now we've got the mandate
If you've changed your mind
I'm afraid it's too late
We're concerned
you're a threat
You're not integral
to the project

In case you're not sure: Pet Shop Boys don't like the idea. Neil Tennant's vocal on this track conveys all the despair and anger that you can read in those lyrics.

Are you beginning to see the picture? This is a band that creates pop music...synthesised, bleep bleep, thud thud, doof doof pop music that you can listen to on a superficial level and enjoy it for that alone. But it's not disposable pop: it has heart and depth. The Special Edition of 'Fundamental' (do you get it? Fundamental...gay band...up your...etc) has an additional disc (called 'Fundamentalism') that contains the mind-blowing track 'Fugitive' - an incredibly daring and risky song about the 9/11 terrorists. The lyrics are about how they are going to miss each other but will be together again in heaven. It's almost a love song. My jaw just drops at the audacity of it.

In an age when we are encouraged not to think, to pay no attention, to care for no-one, to retreat into ourselves but never actually look inward, thank god for bands like Pet Shop Boys who push us to go deeper.