Nonetheless＜限定盤/Indie Exclusive Grey Vinyl＞

Appearing four years after Hotspot -- the longest gap between albums in Pet Shop Boys history -- Nonetheless represents something of a reset for Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, finding the duo swapping producer Stuart Price in favor of James Ford, an associate of Arctic Monkeys who recently forged a fruitful collaboration with Damon Albarn that culminated on Blurs ruminative The Ballad of Darren. Nonetheless shares some similarities with The Ballad of Darren, particularly in how it finds Pet Shop Boys settling into a familiar groove, not for nostalgia but for reflection. Tennant litters the album with elegies for a fading world, feeling out of step in hipster neighborhoods ("Like silent movie stars/in 60s Hollywood/No one knows who you are"), reminiscing about the time he hung around with his glam rock brothers, and, worst of all, lamenting that pop is "always Christmas or the sound of summer" in this future weve found ourselves in. The dissatisfaction and melancholy are palpable, but Tennant and Lowe choose to not wallow in sadness, finding resolve in the very things that used to matter to the culture at large and still matter very much to Pet Shop Boys: pop songs, disco beats, wry cynicism, bittersweet ballads and human connection that lasts, no matter how fleeting a relationship may be. The familiarity of form is an asset on Nonetheless: the lack of surprises makes it easier not only to appreciate the craft of Tennant, Lowe, and Ford, but it helps mark the passing of time, shifting the focus to what Pet Shop Boys have gained by what the pop mainstream has left behind. Their devotion to pop and belief it in its power is affecting and oddly reassuring, particularly because Nonetheless works so well as an album: theres no fat, no excess, so the craft that services the emotion is difficult to deny. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

12年ぶりに古巣パーロフォンに戻って完成させたニュー・アルバム。ここ数作ではスチュワート・プライスとタッグを組んできたが、今回はジェイムス・フォードをプロデューサーに起用し、多様な面でリフレッシュを図っている。冒頭の"Loneliness"も"Dancing Star"も往時の〈らしさ〉を超えて実に新鮮!
bounce (C)狛犬