Behavior [Limited]

Entertainment Weekly (11/9/90) - "...Heartfelt expressions of romantic distress, plus their best tunes yet..." - Rating: A+ Entertainment Weekly (11/9/90) - "...Heartfelt expressions of romantic distress, plus their best tunes yet..." - Rating: A+ Q (12/99, p.68) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s." Q (11/90) - 4 Stars - Excellent - Included in Q's 50 best albums of 1990 - "Some of their dance fans may be a trifle disappointed...but the best ballads here are as wry and touching as vintage Broadway. Frank Sinatra should be calling shortly." Q (10/95, p.144) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...By 1990's BEHAVIOUR, they were wiser, looser, and more natural. The sound is lusher and warmer, with syncopated guitars and orchestras in the mix..." Q (12/99, p.68) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s." Q (11/90) - 4 Stars - Excellent - Included in Q's 50 best albums of 1990 - "Some of their dance fans may be a trifle disappointed...but the best ballads here are as wry and touching as vintage Broadway. Frank Sinatra should be calling shortly." Q (10/95, p.144) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...By 1990's BEHAVIOUR, they were wiser, looser, and more natural. The sound is lusher and warmer, with syncopated guitars and orchestras in the mix..." Musician (1/91, p.92) - "...[Pet Shop Boys] understand that life isn't about wrestling with the zeitgeist, but managing a laugh or two as you muddle through. And that's the real difference between teen fare and grown-up pop...." Musician (1/91, p.92) - "...[Pet Shop Boys] understand that life isn't about wrestling with the zeitgeist, but managing a laugh or two as you muddle through. And that's the real difference between teen fare and grown-up pop...." Stereo Review (4/91) - Best Recording Of The Month - "A bold, ambitious album...the Pet Shop Boy's crowning achievement..it works it magic through compositional subtlety, lyrical eloquence, and thematic reach.." Stereo Review (4/91) - Best Recording Of The Month - "A bold, ambitious album...the Pet Shop Boy's crowning achievement..it works it magic through compositional subtlety, lyrical eloquence, and thematic reach.." New York Times (Publisher) (11/4/90) - "Not since the Carpenters has a group so effectively juxtaposed a dispassionate voice with such upbeat, vacuum packed pop...it's best moments...are wistful reveries with a hypnotic pulse." New York Times (Publisher) (11/4/90) - "Not since the Carpenters has a group so effectively juxtaposed a dispassionate voice with such upbeat, vacuum packed pop...it's best moments...are wistful reveries with a hypnotic pulse." Pitchfork (Website) - "'Jealousy' goes furthest in a quasi-symphonic direction. Played on keyboards but booming like a massive orchestra, it's fraught with romantic angst like their earliest work, yet it suits their new phase of unfettered emotionality."

Behavior was a retreat from the deep dance textures of Introspective, as it picked up on the carefully constructed pop of Actually. In fact, Behavior functions as the Pet Shop Boys' bid for mainstream credibility, as much of the album relies more on popcraft than rhythmic variations. Although its a subtle maneuver, it would have been rather disastrous if the results weren't so captivating. Tennant takes this approach seriously, singing the lyrics instead of speaking them. That doesn't necessarily give the album added emotional baggage -- all of the distance and detachment in the duo's music is not a hindrance, it's part of the concept -- but it does result in an ambitious and breathtaking pop album, which manages to include everything from the spiteful "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" to the wistful "Being Boring." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine