Behaviour
Pet Shop Boys
1990
Album Summary
Behaviour (released as Behavior in the United States) is the fourth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 22 October 1990 by Parlophone. A Japanese special edition included a bonus mini CD, exclusive artwork and printed lyrics in a white velvet-like box.
WikipediaLooking beyond the obvious, inherent kitchyness of the album, there are some aspects of it I find intriguing. For one, the chord progressions and melodies stick out to me. Also, the songs are very danceable. They function as anthems to an 80's (early 90's) night out. I think that the album accomplishes what it might've been intended to do fairly well. One thing I'm missing is repetition in the lyrics and hooks. The vocals seem to be stories that work in a linear fashion, never looking back at what's been before. Since the songs function as anthems, I find this contrast to be disrupting. The ending of Jealousy also feels like ELO on ecstacy, which might've been impressive in the 80's/90's, but now seem quite comical, laughable. It's not an album that has aged very well, but nevertheless serves as an anti-cool, danceable album full of anthems for a fun night out
This album is a good reminder that those crappy demo buttons on cheap Casio keyboards used to play something that sounded like popular music. Unfortunately for Pet Shop Boys, this album has aged exactly as well as those awful Casio demo tracks. Which is to say not at all. "Behaviour" is an absolute trash album that only serves as a monument to how truly terrible music was in the late 80s and early 90s.
A surprisingly mellow album. I remember the Pet Shop Boys of my youth being a lot more “disco” so this was a terrific album just to chill and listen to. I love the structure of the songs and the accompanying lyrics. Would like to make the time to revisit this in the near future.
Easy five. Possibly my favourite album so far. For some reason I was expecting hardcore gangster rap but what I got instead was way better. Biiig late MGMT vibes (almost questionably similar to Little Dark Age in places) and can hear where Client Liaison get some of their styles from too. This is a great album. No real highlights because there isn't a bad track on it but October Symphony was a stand out
A friend introduced me to the Pet Shop Boys in college, and they have been one of my favorites ever since. I'm not sure I've ever listened to this whole album by itself, but Being Boring, So Hard and Jealousy are great tracks, so I'm sure the rest will be good too.
Shockingly good. Had no idea PSB sounded like this at any point. Seems prescient of "chillwave" in many respects. Reminds me of later era Radio Dept. and Kaputt by Destroyer.
One of the small blessings of lockdown is that it's randomly made me learn more about the Pet Shop Boys, and boy am I glad for it.
Pet Shop Boys have weirdly popped up quite a bit for me this week, having just finished watching ‘It’s a Sin’ (which I thought was great) and choosing to put on some of their stuff as a result. I don’t think I’d ever actually listened to an album of theirs in full before but they’re one of those bands who I feel like I just absorbed by osmosis throughout my childhood. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. There’s something quite Bowie-esque about it in places and although I could see that Neil Tennants nasal tones might not be everyone’s cup of tea I really like his voice. Apparently Jonny Marr plays on a couple of the tracks too.
Introspective and melancholy, but musically and melodically beautiful, lyrically deeper and less bombastic than the PSB's first three albums.
This is not an album I expected to like as much as I did. "Actually" is the only other album I've heard from PSB, and this is a definite stand-out against it. The lyrics are very introspective and...vulnerable? Neil Tennant sounds like he is professing everything he says in this album, which adds to the cathartics tied with the beautiful music. Synth-pop can come off as slow, sad or boring to most ears, but they construct it with other instrumentation that makes the sound grandiose. And on top of all of it, you get beats that are danceable and fun but layered with melodic-ballad tones. It just further pushes the complexity of this album, and I really enjoy the diversity it brings in sound. Favorite Song: My October Symphony Honorable Mention: There's a badass remix/mash-up of Where The Streets Have No Name by U2 and Can't Take My Eyes Off of You by Franki Valli in the Further Listening Edition. Least Favorite: Only The Wind
Really started appreciating this during "To Face the Truth." There's an earnest cheesiness to this that is appealing to me.
A really nice, more mature outing by the Pet Shop Boys. I think the Pet Shop Boys were always among the best of their genre, with smarter lyrics and better arrangements than a lot of their peers. But this is some next level Pet Shop Boys. Some really rich, elegant arrangements. Love the presence of Johnny Marr on guitar, which adds a nice additional texture you don't always get in electronic music. It teeters on the line of being a little overly torchy, but thank goodness for that. Otherwise it would be another drab synth album of the period. It feels a touch dated musically at times, but overall a really strong collection of songs. Fave Songs: Jealousy, The End of the World, To Face the Truth, This Must Be the Place I've Waited to Leave, Nervously, Being Boring, My October Symphony
I apologize for anyone whose first exposure to Pet Shop Boys this is. It's an outlier. Compared to their dance crazy hits before and after, this is a mature, melancholic entry best met with a glass of brandy in the study. Some may accuse it for being pretentious, with its openly cryptic album cover and title, and the overtly serious content matter, which is a criticism not a member of my entertainment factors. The direct, confrontational lyrics paint the narrator as a man of action, a vivid storyteller, full of dreams and regrets, ideas of change and resolve. Combined with its unique subject matter and clear, soothing vocals, it makes for one of the more engaging listens out there. Synths are top of the notch... this is Pet Shop Boys we're talking about. No one has a more refined sound in the genre besides maybe Depeche Mode. It's also PSB's most consistent effort. There's a range of synth sounds here, but yet the mood remains the same. The most discoesque song is probably "My October Symphony," yet even then I'm not sure I'd dance to - especially with that classical symphony sound - just groove out to. Maybe "So Hard" is a better candidate with that laser solo. No song feels out of place, and there are some pretty sweet transitions.
I feel like I could have gotten into some of the instrumentals here, but the vocals just did not do it for me at all.
Seriously, if this album came out this year, it would be considered as a joke. The best example of synth-pop that didn't age well (and I'm a big fan of synth-pop)
I love me some new wave/synth-pop. A great album and I need to remember to listen to more Pet Shop Boyz
Rating: 9/10 Best songs: being boring, how can you expect to be taken seriously, my October symphony, the end of the world
Me gustó de principio a fin y pues nunca había escuchado un disco completo de los Pet Shop Boys. 9/10
I came across a cache of old photos And invitations to teenage parties "Dress in white" one said, with quotations From someone's wife, a famous writer In the nineteen-twenties
Solid pop album with really catchy melodies and lyrics. Probably pretty influential in the electro music scene.
ok this is cool... something I'd never actually listen to without being shown, but wow. I only remember their cover of go west as a kid, and west end girls. But this is super cruisy, tasteful etc etc. can't say I'd call it dance music, but more something to chuck on in the background while you come down haha. But it's really nice. A total 4/5.
9/10. had a low functioning day yesterday so im off schedule again. joy. was not lookign forward to this one since i listened to the first pet shop boys album a whiiile ago and was excruciatingly lukewarm towards it but this is great. mayb ive just grown to love that 80s sound more but i think this might just be better? shrug. mostly rly consistent, lots of cool sounds, being boring and to face the truth are probly gonna be lying-in-bed staples. the datedness is lovely and its all very pretty
It's too bad I thought I didn't like them in the 80s. And this album actually came out in 1990!
GEILE BEATS ____ GEILE STIMME ___ TEXTE STARK ___ BISSCHEN VIEL EFFEKTE GEDÖNS ABER OKE __ WÜRDE ES IN EINER BAR GERNE MAL IM HINTERGRUND HÖREN __ JAWOLLL ALDER
Tres bon album new age. Surprenant je m’attendais a rien vraiment car je ne connaissais pa. 4.5
I'm not surprised if I'm the only one from our group, but I actually really enjoy the Pet Shop Boys and have listened to their Best Of quite a few times. I'm not really sure why they picked this album, my couple favorite Pet Shop Boys songs aren't on it. A slight shame, but I still enjoyed it.
Very, very british. Solid, upbeat. Not huge on the vocalist personally but the beats are good.
i like some songs of theirs, lets see if this list picked the album with the hits or some random one. well i dont know any songs from the tracklist. okay it started i could be into this. im a liar i actually do know this first song lol they play it on the radio at work sometimes. so, im done and i quite liked it. its good. no surprise im into this i do love pop and synths and whatever else is in this. i feel pleased and satisfied, finally something truly enjoyable after all the boring rock variants ive been getting xd
I wouldn’t say I’m a pet shop boys fan but I liked the album I thought the songs were good and I enjoyed it 4/5
Boring - reminds me of Air's tone but with an 80's backdrop. Loving the album. Definitely will want to go back.
Wow, another album that I had not listened to previously that I really like. Classic new wave sound. Favorite songs: Being Boring, This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave, How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously, So Hard. Solid 4 on this one.
Looking forward to this one. Know some PSB hits but never explored them. After listen: Not exaclty what I was expecting but very danceable and good energy. Lacked some “catchy ness”
Einfach zu einfach sie als Pop Duo abzutun; viel zu viel an Texten, die einen näheren Blick erfordern, sehnsüchtelnde Riffs, wie ich sie mal wieder in Destroyer wiederfinde, eine nicht einzig von Tennant‘s Gesang getragene Grundmelancholie. Dazu Dance/House Elemente, die mir oft so plakativ vordergründig erschienen, aber nun eher wie das Lametta den Eingang zum trist-normalen Pet Shop zieren. Normalität ist es aber, was genau durch diese Einzelheiten überkommen werden soll. Ich mag es, ob vor, während oder nach „schöner Einnahme“? Let’s try…“My October Symphony“ kommt schon einmal im richtigen Monat. Herzenswarme 3.7
I had heard of the Pet Shop Boys, but wasn’t familiar with their music. I loved this. I loved the vocals, but I especially loved the music and the use of the synth (is that a thing? A synth? If not, don’t @ me). Kind of like a more lounge UB40 vibe without being cringe 😬 I really dug this. Being Boring could literally be my theme song (except I am literally boring lol). Great album!
Another pleasant surprise! I really enjoyed this one. I had always heard the name Pet Shop Boys, but never knew what kind of music they played. I guess I'm a fan now!
Onpas hyvä. Ihanaa myöhäisillan melankoliapoppia. Ehkä pari biisiä turhan imeliä, mutta pääosin nautin tyylistä ja soundeista. Being Boring on kyl mielettömän kova, olin joskus kuullut ja onneksi löytyi taas. PSB:n isot hitit ei oo ollut suurimpia suosikkeja niin tää oli kiva yllätys. Alkoi kaduttaa, että kävelin aikoinaan Flowssa kylmästi ohi.
Tää on must PSB:n paras levykokonaisuus. Siinä missä aikasemmilla levyil on megahittejä (its a sin, domino dancing jne), tää keskittyy jotenkin ehkä aikuisempaan ja vakavampaan ilmaisuun. Miten sitä vielä kuvailis, ehkä tää on vähemmän överi. Tykkään kovasti. Ihan siitä 3 ja 4 tähtee välistä. Menköön tällä kertaa neljän puolelle koska koko bändi on hienoo poppii, jolla on iso kulttuurillinen merkitys. 4/5
Synth dance with a certain atmospheric sensibility. I does make me wish the orchestral stab preset was never invented
This album contains two of my favourite Pet Shop Boys singles, 'So Hard' and 'Being Boring', so it seems a good place to start for a deeper dive into their discography. Pleasingly, the rest of the album lives up to the standard of those singles and continues the wistful and introspective themes. Chock full of glorious melodies, sad lyrics and catchy hooks, this is total Bill-bait. Two thirds of the tracks on the album could have been a singles, with only a small dip in quality in the middle third of the record. The album mixes of 'Being Boring' and 'Jealousy' are also superior to the single edits and add to the overall feel of the piece. Looking forward to the other two PSB albums on the list. Rating: 4.5/5 Playlist track: So Hard Date listened: 17/05/22
You know...it's not my favorite album on this list, but I get the appeal. The aggressively 90s synth is delightful and I really thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't say I'd re-listen to every single track, but the majority were enjoyable. I can't complain about this one, it was genuinely fun. Fave track: This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave. Has a wonderful driving-down-the-road sound to it.
Pet Shop Boys are very much in my musical wheelhouse so I was excited about this album. I’m not sure what it is about PSB, though, because they just don’t do it for me. I listened to a mix of their stuff recently and just didn’t connect with it, much like this album. I feel like they take themselves too seriously or something. I did really like the song “To Face the Truth.” I listened to this a second time and liked it a little more, but was still overall left feeling “meh.”
I've listened to Pet Shop Boys previously, and I can tell by this point they have mastered their signature Synthpop sound. I might have to come back to this to see if I think more highly of it due to how many quality dance bops it has. Favorites: "Being Boring", "To Face the Truth", "So Hard"
'So Hard' was a stand-out for me - really catchy through the verses and chorus while also injecting these abrupt tonal shifts that work surprisingly well. Other than that, these songs blurred together for the most part. There was a light catchy-ness to most of them, so it was a pleasant album to listen to, but isn't one I would listen to again.
I'm surprised to see this on the list. There's nothing wrong wih it, but it isn't what I would consider a significant album. I wonder if I'll come across their superior earlier stuff later on this journey. It's an okay album, not great, not horrible, and honestly it's nice to see them on the list.
Tätä levyä vaivaa vähän sama kuin muitakin Pet Shop Boysin levyjä - Hitit (Being boring, So hard) ovat lähes klassikkomatskua mutta suurin osa biiseistä on aika keskinkertaisia. Ihan mielellään tätä kuuteli vaikkei levy mikään täyskymppi kokonaisuutena ollutkaan. Aiemmin vieraista biiseistä The End of the World nousi muiden yläpuolelle.
I know this list is UK-centric but honestly: picking 1001 "essential" albums from 5-6 decades of pop, soul, hip-hop, and jazz, does NOT need 3 Pet Shop Boys albums. I do not get the hype.
Ideal für den nächsten ayahuasca-Trip. Habe die Welt gefühlt. Healing, but not satisfying.
Quite relaxing really, funky, some of the lyrics are quite nice, but the singing is a bit to monotone for me
The Boys sound sooo soft and smooth on this album, this is perfect music for shopping at a luxury department store as you sashay through the aisles, if that's your thing. There's nothing offensive on this album, but nothing inspiring either.
I don't really know Pet Shop Boys well. I recall a hit or two (West End Girl and that WIlly Nelson song) that were fun but not so much to make me seek out other music by them. I kinda like what they did on this album. A lot of synth pop now sounds dated but this is listenable. By mid album, I found the songs were starting to wear me out. I initially speculated that this was due to the singer always sounding the same but on reflection, any singer's voice will sound the same throughout an album. Think of the David Byrne or David Bowie albums we had recently. Their voices sound the same in each song which makes sense; they only have one voice. I then thought it must be that he sings at the same pitch. But after replaying some snippets, this is also not the case. His voice has good range and he displays that. What I did find is that the album starts with an onslaught of songs played in Minor keys. While there are many exceptions, Minor keys are historically used to make songs sound sad and major keys used to make songs sound happy. (eg, Happy Birthday is written in a Major key - F Major I think - although the best versions are when each person sings in a different key!) Of the first 6 songs on this album, only To Face the Truth is in a Major key but it still sounds sad. This may be why it wore on me by mid point of the album. The album ends with songs in the major key with So Hard, Nervously . . . . Did anyone else find So Hard a pleasant change? The album ends with Jealousy. This is definitely not a happy song lyrically, but is played in a Major key so it sounds happy. The Smiths were masters at writing manically depressed lyrics but pairing those lyrics with music in Major keys so the songs sounded happy. I probably would not have put this much thought into this album were it not for having time on my hands due to the COVID lockdown. I really don't like Pet Shop Boys that much.
Most of these tracks are too long for my taste. Songs are mostly enjoyable, just last too long.
So 63 albums in, this is now the third Pet Shop Boys album I've had. Seems high. Especially when you consider I haven't had any Bowie or Beatles albums yet. Look, I love a ton of Pet Shop Boys songs. There have probably been five or six songs from the albums I've listened to that I consider classics. But none of the albums stand out at that in a way that would elevate them to a 4 or 5 ratings. I certainly haven't disliked any of the albums enough to suggest they shouldn't be on this list. So maybe three Pet Shop Boys albums are fine on the list. My favorite of the three albums would have to be "Actually" if only for the two absolute bangers that appear on it (It's A Sin and What Have I Done To Deserve This). Behaviour is my least favorite among the three. This is the last I'll see of the Pet Shop Boys on this list, as apparently the algorithm determined I needed all of them served to me early on in this process. I can't help but take that personally. But I did finally get to hear the Pet Shop Boys amazing cover of the great Village People song "Go West", so at least I have that going for me.
Electro-pop con clase. Nunca les había prestado atención y no están mal. No llega al nivel de Depeche Mode pero es de escucha agradable
80s synth pop to the max. Instrumentally it's ok but I can never get into 80s synth-pop vocal deliveries.
Eh, it's a perfectly pleasant background listen, I guess. It's too laid back to be energising, but not quite laid back enough to be chill. Fave track - "Being Boring", but they're all much of a muchness...
Tyyppien soundi on jotenkin mieltä rauhoittava. Ei tosin silti mikään tajuntaan iskevä teos ja ennestään tutu biisit on toisilla levyillä. 2,5*
The 4th Pet Shop Boys album. I thought that this one would be more interesting. But only 3 stars of 5. Interesting facts about this one is that they used analog synthesizers instead of digital. Tennant stated the album was inspired by fellow synth-pop group Depeche Mode's album Violator released that same year.
This album is so unabashedly 80s/90s fusion. Holy synth bass, Batman. Pet Shop Boys walked so others could run. Not my cup of tea but a lot of the songs have fire sample potential.
Sad boy late 80s early 90s music. Lead singer has one of the more unique voices. Also the electro effects in this album just make me smile, stereotype era
Synth pop was probably dying at this point. This album, "Behaviour", released a year before Nirvana stormed the scene, sounds like a final groove, a last dance. The overall atmosphere seems melancholic and vulnerable. I guess switching to analog synths contributed to it. I don't mind the British accent, but the vocals are irritating most of the time. It doesn't go well with the synth tunes. It's not really bad, but it surely didn't age well. While the synth lines and the melodies are catchy sometimes, the songs just pass by without leaving anything remarkable. This is far from a must listen.
Never listened to a whole PSBs album before. Enjoyed the first half more than the second. I'm pretty sure that Being Boring is a New Order song in disguise. Altogether the album is a bit of a downer. Also, I know they like retro synths, but stop it with the Orchestra Hit, it doesn't improve any song.
Meh, This is a low-3 for me. I am okay with the beats / layering / vibe here, but not a fan of the singer. Tempted to give a 2 here, but a little more impressive there's only 2 people here doing this.
They seem to have settled in a mid-tempo groove at this point. Not as exciting as Actually.
Where as "Actually" sounded very advanced and ahead of it's time, "Behavior" sounds a bit dated. I blame the late 80s/early 90s style of production I despise. I like the lyrical messages and choices on this record, just not the fake keyboard orchestra stabs. Favorite tracks: "Being Boring", "This Must Be the Place I Waited to Leave"
I thought this one was nice. The sprinkling of guitar was a pleasant surprise. The production was also great here. Ultimately though I didn’t find the album massively interesting. Again this is an album that could maybe do with being about 10-15 minutes shorter. Overall I think this is another 2.5 stars.
Highlights: This Must be the Place I've Waited Years to Leave, Only the Wind, Nervously. - I didn't vibe with this album. It's good, well made, and with a few songs I enjoyed, but I just couldn't connect with it the way I wanted to.
Prefs: Being Boring, This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave, The End of the World, Jealousy Moins pref: Only the Wind.
Sophisticated pop. The occasional talking vocals really show the contrasts when Tennant sings. I always really liked Jealousy and some of the others are also polished pop with good hooks. Not as catchy as Actually, but more sophisticated.
Pretty nice to listen to with some catchy hooks, fun grooves, and enough instrumental variation to keep things interesting (the orchestra at the end of Jealousy sounds amazing!)
I've always felt that the Pet Shop Boys would benefit a little bit from being less serious, but their undoubted ear for memorable pop is on full display here. The problem is that the whole album feels too long and self indulgent.
This was extremely pretty and I enjoyed listening to it at the time, but now it's over I cannot remember a single note.
The background synth sounds and guitars are much cooler than the lead vocals and forward sounds.
Kind of boring. It's pretty emotionless, with weird and kind of boring techno beats. I guess it's not bad though.
Если вам 30, вы напились и хотите погрустить ночью - этот альбом отличное решение. В противном случае тупо уныло и скучно.
The album contains nice moments, but it is very long-winded for an album with barely no mood variations. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it either. Glad to know better this group that I only knew by name.
sonido agradable, suena curiosamente a una mezcla de los 80s y 90s, tiene sentido al ser de 1990, justo en medio de ambas épocas. no soy fan profundamente pero no me disgustó nada. en una palabra: gustoso
I could get into it. Listened to their first album after this and thought that was much better.
A few good songs on here. I liked Being Borning, How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously? So Hard and To Face the Truth. 3.5/5
misses the spice from the more electronic hits and misses the feel of a good song with content.
Meandering late 80s filler (I know, it was released in 1990!). Didn't do anything for me. Some of the synth sounds reminded me too much of the film Biggles Adventures in Time.
Lacks the punch of some classic pet shop boys. Very melodic and mellow synth with restrained vicals
'Being Boring' hält was er verspicht. Es ist ein langweiliger 80ies track der zu spät dran ist. 'Only the Wind' bedient sich geschickt des Antwort-Einloggen-Tons von "Wer wird Millionär?". Ned blöd, aber auch nicht wirklich gut. 'So Hard' lässt mich anfangs das spüren, was der Track propagiert, lässt dann aber leider ähnlich einer Viagra im micro-dosing, stark nach und entäscht alle Teilnehmer. 80ies vibe izz aber da. Alles in allem würde ich wohl nicht jeden Song skippen, wenn er liefe, allerdings auch nie aktiv einen anhören.
I didn't mind a couple of the more uptempo tunes but otherwise, this is very very ballad-driven synth pop, not my cup of tea, which is too bad because I think the song-writing is okay and I like Neil Tennant's voice. After this, I went back to listen to "Let's Make Lots of Money".
Vaikka levy on niukasti ysärin puolella, niin meikäläiselle tämä kuulosti aika vahvasti kasarimusalle. Levyn avausbiisi oli ihan okei, mutta sitten vauhti hyytyi ja loppulevy sitä samaa mollia. Ei jatkoon.
Levyn avausbiisi Being Boring olikin lupaus loppulevystä. Mielenkiinnolla odotin, mitä Pet Shop Boysilla oli megahittien lisäksi tarjottavaa. Tarjottava olikin se illan viimeinen väljähtänyt tuoppi, mikä vastoin kaikkea järkeä pitää silti huitaista alas, vaikka ei tarjoa mitään nautintoa. Ehkä jollain toisella levyllä olisi sitten happy hour meininkejä.
I don't get it. They are boring, they do songs about being boring. Always sound the same.
Alright, listenable, but just really not my bag. Slow and dreary but not in a way I could appreciate. Not one song stood out. Lyrics seemed quite niche/specific anecdotes about the singers life. 2 /5
Was very hard for me to take seriously as some parts sounded like they were created entirely on an electronic keyboard, though I do understand the intrinsic value of the Pet Shop Boys as corny electronic pop artists. Definitely some "guilty pleasure" type bangers in their discography but not a lot in this album for me.
Extremely dated sounding, sorry. Don't mean to be such a millenial but way too 80s for my taste. Some good songwriting underneath the production.
I like Pet Shop Boys' earlier work and was excited to see Harold Faltermeyer as producer. I'm a big synth wave fan in general, and I normally stick up for this sort of thing, but I just can't get into this one. I find the singing style and lyrics mildly irritating to cringe worthy throughout. And the production is simply too clean for my taste. They claim to have been inspired by Depeche Mode's Violator, which I think is a five star album, but I don't hear any of that album's depth or richness reflected here. There are moments of cheese on this album that I find almost unbearable and I have a huge threshold (and even an appreciation) for cheese (Orchestra Hit!!!).
I have an unconscious bias against the Pet Shop Boys - every track sounds the same. Not dull or bad, but i've listened through this album twice now and didn't even notice it was on. Couldn't differentiate between this and any other Pet Shop Boys album.
53. Behaviour - Pet Shop Boys 10 tracks. I think this was the PSB's working out what worked and what didn't work. This is the "Didn't work" pile. It's really not good. 2/5
The opening song, Being Boring is quintessentially Pet Shop Boys. Suprisingly industrial feel in some of the tracks that synchs well with the synth pop tones. How can You Expect to be Taken Seriously is strangely 80's poppy again with a drumbeat that kind of resembles Sledgehammer. A little too samey for my taste - the songs run together so seamlessly that it is an awful lot of something that's only okay. The goods - Being Boring
Ei sillä että mulla olis mitään varsinaisesti synapoppia vastaan mutta Pet Shop Boys on monesti niin lässyttävää ettei vaan jaksa. Tää levy ainakin menee tähän kategoriaan. 2/5
Aikamoista löristelyä ysärisyntikka-orchestra-hiteillä ja muilla kämäsoundeilla, tuntuu lähinnä koomiselta. Ja siihen päälle vielä PSB:n ärsyttävä valittava lauluääni ja mukahaikea poppismeininki, niin en kyllä osaa sanoa että nautinko tästä oikeestaan ollenkaan.
I'd never heard a full album by Pet Shop Boys and was feeling optimistic going into this one- I thought they were notorious for infectious dance-pop, a late 80's take on disco classics, and a camp sense of humour. "Behaviour" felt different. By all accounts, it's their "time to grow up" album with a more mature attempt at their sound. As a first listen with no investment in their evolution, it just seemed to fall flat. Right from the get go, "Being Boring" takes as its subject the idea of looking back, growing up and reflecting. It's a universal theme with undeniable personal weight for Tennant, but it's very introspective, bordering on self-important. Together with the maudlin "This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave" and "To Face the Truth", one can hear the songs dragging themselves down with their own weight. It's fine to place more focus on the subject matter, but the lyrics here are patchy. Over-baked, in the case of "This Must Be The Place..."'s forced rhymes, and under-baked in the case of "To Face the Truth" ("If you don't believe what I have said; take a look, my eyes are red"). Tennant's vocals are delivered in a soft, hushed tone, occasionally double-tracked in octaves (frustratingly, never in harmony). They're fine, but they're not showstopping by any means. Together, lyrics and vocals are not enough to carry the material, and focus has to turn to the instrumentals. It's interesting listening to this album and distinguishing between synth sounds enjoying a current revival, those which are forgivably of their time, and those which are so dated as to damage the listening experience. In the top group, we have a lot of the drum sounds here. Perhaps often sampled in the years since, they feel like they still would have a place in lo-fi or retro- leaning dance pop. The ethereal pads are timeless and have been a mainstay of electronic music, often used here to add another subtle layer of atmosphere. In the middle are most of the bass sounds: spluttering, bouncing, bubbling... they're determinedly 80's, but often the most addictive part of the track (see "Being Boring"). On the lowest end are the terribly naff orchestra hits which plague and drag down the already interminable "Only the Wind". They're also used in "So Hard" along with an equally dated choir effect, but because the same song holds the album's best chorus, I can get past it. Incidentally, "So Hard" was the lead single and I wasn't surprised to hear it: there's a clear hook, sense of drama and magnitude to it. There's an occasional exception from the synths: the acoustic string section in "My October Symphony" is a pleasant addition to the mix, but it doesn't salvage the song's bland hook. "Jealousy" is a gentle ballad to take us out, with simulated wave effects, and some brass patches coming in for the outro. The song itself is just as po-faced as the rest of the album and doesn't allow itself to be emotional or danceable. "Behaviour" is a deeply flawed effort with little to make me want to revisit it. It doesn't seem to fulfil Pet Shop Boy's reputation for making floor-fillers, but the emotion within it feels detached, and the lyrical quality renders any claim these songs can stake as being mature and cerebral rather flawed.
Never been a fan of the Pet Shop Boys and probably never will be. Listening to most of the album is the most I've listened to them in one sitting and though it was fine, couldn't really keep my attention. Some songs had a nice beat to it and could get into it, but most of the music had a sameness and blah appeal for me. Blah...
I got about six songs in, really not my jam. Overproduced synths and drums sound kind of cheesy. Meh
I do love the pet shop boys, but without the big standout singles, this does tend to merge into the background a little. There are a couple of bits that grab your interest, but it's not one I'll be rushing back to.
This was not what I expected the album to sound like given the few pet shop boys songs i know- it was so slooooow. Maybe I was in a bad mood but I couldn't decide if it was interesting or boring tbh. There were some nice moments, and October symphony was a nice break from the sad boi synths, but overall I found this album to be a bit wet.
I mostly enjoyed what Pet Shop Boys I had heard before getting this album. So Hard was the only song I knew prior and maybe its because of this reason thats it the only one I really enjoyed. I was hoping for something more like New Order and was a bit let down. It's not terrible but I don't know that I'd ever want to hear this again.
A vibe hour, but nothing much I can get into. All a bit overproduced and underwhelming
Familiar with pet shop boys bigger hits? But nothing on this album, was ok but nothing special
I enjoyed Being Boring, How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously & Nervously. This album is not one I would have ever gone out of my way to listen to and it was very 90s inspired, reminding me of Vogue by Madonna on almost every track... it was kind of repetitive too.
I wanted this album to end so badly. Those cheesy ass orchestra hits sound terrible. I actually enjoyed End of the World, though i assumed that it was the final song on the album and was pissed to see another.
SO. I clearly have at least one Pet Shop Boys song that I know, and yet I've never listened to any others. That voice is not one to spend much time with. How Can You Be... was the moment at which I knew PSB were not going to be a band for me. Went downhill from there. How was *this* the "must listen to" album???? It was getting annoying at the end (the voice, the balladry, the lack of pop hits...). I'm between a one and two stars, so it's gonna be one. :(
Czy to sezon na recyklingowany kontent, bo kolejna banda duetowa, ktora juz miala swoja reprezentacje na liscie i znowu katuje tym samym, dawno takiego uczucia deja vu nie mialem niz podczas tego odsluchu, wiec sprawdzilem rowniez poprzedni album i kawalki maja tak podobna linie melodyczna, ale czego sie spodziewac po ultra synthowym duecie, nawet gosci zbyt wielu nie ma tutaj, wiec komputrowe brzmienia dominuja, traki odroznia poziom mialkosci lirycznej, jak przystalo na pop latwy odsluch i 49 minut z glowy rozbite na 10 kawalkow, pet szopowe bojsy utwierdzaja mnie kolejny raz w tym, ze synthowy pop, to nie moj gatunek muzyczny, ale na elektrowom plejke dodam otwierajacy utwor o intrygujacym tytule, being boring, ktory swietnie podsumowuje moje odczucia po odsluchu krazka behaviour
Oh boy. More synth-pop. Mellow, bland, poor lyrics, too-quiet voices. Apt that the first song is titled 'Being Boring.' This just isn't for me. Couldn't make it through a full three songs.
Weichgespülte, ideenlose Audiorrhoe. Unerträglich, daher beim fünften Song ausgemacht, nachdem ich bereits ab dem ersten nur noch durchgeskippt habe. Diese tongewordene Banalität macht mich aggressiv.