Pet Shop Boys Community

In terms of theme/ atmosphere, lyrical subject matter?

Most PSB albums are tinged with an element of darkness, or an elegiac quality which, even when the beats are disco, have lyrics eluding to dark, or at least sad subjects; i find Very is a good example of this (youthful idealism tinged with the reality that life, perhaps, isn't really so peaceful there after all)

Behaviour is often cited as PSB darkest album, shrouded as it by the spectre of AIDS, but Fundamental has an almost gothic forboding feel to it in parts and all that politics is veering on the dark side.

Release has quite some darkness too, with tracks like Love Is A Catastrophe, You Choose, The Samurai In Autumn and Birthday Boy.

Glad, you didn't ask for sound, because I don't see any dark album in that sense.

Glad, you didn't ask for sound, because I don't see any dark album in that sense.

You don't think This Must Be The Place I've Waited Years To Leave has a dark 'sound', or Psychological's nagging synth intro, it's atmospheric sound when Neil sings "all in the mind", or the scary circus bit at the beginning of Sodom, or Integral's pounding synths, or It's A Sin's lightning strike (in fact, It's A Sin sounds dark throughout)

kimphilby wrote:

Glad, you didn't ask for sound, because I don't see any dark album in that sense.

You don't think This Must Be The Place I've Waited Years To Leave has a dark 'sound', or Psychological's nagging synth intro, it's atmospheric sound when Neil sings "all in the mind", or the scary circus bit at the beginning of Sodom, or Integral's pounding synths, or It's A Sin's lightning strike (in fact, It's A Sin sounds dark throughout)

Oh, I think, certain PSB songs sound dark indeed, although I would not count It's a sin as one of them. But I agree with This must be the place I waited years to leave. And maybe these:
The sound of the atom splitting
Some Speculation
Electricity
Sexy Northerner

But there's no whole dark PSB album, like DMs Violator.

I keep suggesting Alan Wilder as a future album producer in this forum.

I think that Fundamental's their darkest album although all their studio albums and most of their songs are melancholy. Great pop is tinged with sadness - think Motown, God only knows by the Beach Boys, The Smiths or even the intonation of Rihanna in the chorus of Umbrella.

Nightlife might be dark, especially its cover. D3's got a dark cover too.

Pani wrote:Nightlife might be dark, especially its cover. D3's got a dark cover too.

Not as dark as Fundamentantal, though.

Fundamental is the darkest album even if Behaviour is more full of sadness than it.

Either Nightlife or Fundamental - both have roughly about eight songs I would say were 'dark'.

I do not feel there is a dark themed album.

Bilingual Light cover, light music, dark lyrics

BUT we..... all...... feel better...........................

fluffmoln wrote:

Pani wrote:Nightlife might be dark, especially its cover. D3's got a dark cover too.

Not as dark as Fundamentantal, though.

Right! Forgot about that.

In terms of sound, I feel that Nightlife is easily their darkest album. Only exceptions of New York city boy and HIAO.

fundamental is the darknest album in their career