PSB3: Pet Shop Boys rate, 2006-2019. You're the winner! I'm the winner! What's the winner?

You are such a tease. More Than A Dream and The Former Enfant Terrible?

Only time will tell...

 

Wasn´t @Future Lover talking about the bottom 10?! No way in hell that More Than A Dream will be that low...and the one time horrible child should be TOP 10!

 

Averages:

Fundamental - 6.7
Yes - 8.6
Elysium - 7.2
Electric - 7.9
Super - 7.7

I really expected Elysium to be my least favorite so I am shocked.

 

I'm gonna get this knocked out and over today, promise! I'm trying to finish up the extras, but some of them are... choices.

 

I have Electric, Super and some stray extras left, which I'm hopefully going to get through later on.
@Future Lover @Ray Is there a specific time for the deadline?

eta - It's the next morning and I still have bloody Super to do but I have to go to work. Doesn't real life suck! Could I be a complete twat and ask for a further extension to the extension please? Just the weekend would do!

 

I've been going back to rating the songs for this part quite a few times. Now I'm finally done and I have no idea what is actually going to win this.

 

Midnight CET, but I'm unlikely to be awake then so if you're a FEW hours late (like 8-9 - or pm us if you need *hours* to finish) It's Alright (10" mix).

 

29 sets of votes, two people messaged me to say they're working on theirs – @Eric Generic, I have big hopes xxx

 

Nenad: I'm still shook by some of the scores sent. You can quote me on that.
Ray: Some of the ______ scores?
Nenad: Ermmm, it was ______ and yet another person... JESUS I haven't even seen that!

'Give stupidity a chance'

Nenad: Well, it's a melody accompanied by a lyric, I give you that.
Ray: Try not to overboard with the praise.
Nenad: I mean, I don't wanna be this shady, it's very pleasant, but hardly fleshed out. It's kind of as good as a soundalike of Winner can be...
Ray: WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU
Nenad: We all know what you gave it! *stares* I really appreciate them for doing this. Do we really have that many direct songs that say "Brexit doesn't mean LEAVE, Brexit means a load of shit"?
Ray: I feel that Agenda as a whole is incredibly well timed and written in a way that will give stupidity a chance to understand the lyrics.
Nenad: Ahhahahahha beautiful! Yep, it's kind of meta like that. I mean, they really went in while the iron was hot.
Ray: I saw a lot of comments about the lyrics being too simple. That's... exactly what it's supposed to be.
Nenad: Yeah, I don't think wrapping it up in a nice lil parable would've worked. What all of the situation in the West is reflecting is that people really like it simple, no matter how complex the situation actually is.
Ray: Exactly. When things get too complicated people might start changing their minds, thinking, all this horrible stuff. Give them what they want.
Nenad: I think it's hard for a discussion on this EP not to be political, so yeah, I self-proclaim as a Fully-Automated Luxury Gay Space Communist.

'On social media'

Ray: 'On social media' moves on – it's practically part two. What do we do about stupidity? We hashtag the fuck out of it.
Nenad: Wrap the message on stupidity in a bop, make the dummies dance!
Ray: 'Console yourself with a selfie or two' – this is just so true. And bops. Aye. 'Yay, a bop about social media! It's about likes and tweets! Hashtag blessed!'
Nenad: I admit, I've been guilty of arguing on facts based on Wikipedia...
Ray: It's going to age like hell in five years (I hope).
Nenad: Yep, I cringe when I hear TLC mentioning DVDs...
Ray: But let's not go into Kelly Rowland's Excel emails...
Nenad: Anyway, the song itself – I feel like it's better produced than 'Stupidity' somehow. Maybe I'm not here for that fake-sounding organic kind of thing.
Ray: It's the 'Go West' choir. And the 90s house piano. Everything that has the 90s house piano is good.
Nenad: The songs are a bit on the short side...
Ray: I think that's also on purpose. It's a simple EP with simple songs for simple people. Except, of course, it isn't really.
Nenad: The thing is... this won't reach that many people.
Ray: I know. I wish their likes were in the thousands. I think this song is really perfect. You hate something, so you post a bit from Wikipedia, then go back to your selfies, and at the end 'I feel so empowered'.
Nenad: Yeah, that bit is the best.

'What are we going to do about the rich?'

Ray: I love this new Sparks song.
Nenad: Seriously, what a good question. How much is our hate for the rich just jealousy and how much of it is actual care for the impoverished? Why not both?
Ray: I hope you're playing the devil's advocate, or I will eat you when I am done eating the rich...
Nenad: Rich meat tastes the best! We gotta be careful, rich people might be reading the forum. Rich Rights Group might sue us.
Ray: I have no jealousy, just disgust, really. Climate crisis deniers that only care about stockholders' full accounts.
Nenad: Yep, it's clear we're talking about the 1% of the 1%. Neil has a full right to be critical of them without being hypocritical.
Ray: When the Notre Dame had burnt and all the rich suddenly threw millions at it, so many people asked – where were those millions when people were literally dying of hunger? Because there is still a lot of hunger, you know? We're not quite done.
Nenad: I've read the amount of money they raised could've cleaned up the plastic island floating in the Atlantic... People will only invest in what they can see and live through, and nothing abstract.
Ray: Only a few days ago MacKenzie Bezos announced that she signed The Giving Pledge and she will give 30+ billion to charities. Jeff Bezos praised her in a tweet. But he didn't sign anything. I'm a leftie and an anarchist, so this song kind of appeals to me. (Cue in half the forum blocking me.)
Nenad: Funny how we haven't discussed the songs, mostly the messages...
Ray: Agenda *is* a message.
Nenad: I've grown to love it, despite being a soundalike of "Pandemonium".
Ray: OK, I will give you that. I love the 3/4 metrum and the Sparks sound. While we're at it, the use of a stock photo for the cover? Genius.
Nenad: Absolutely. I mean, it's by Farrow, but I love to think they have a big say in that too.
Ray: Oh, they do! It was in Catalogue, Farrow was talking about how they really design things together. The Agenda cover reminds me of New Order's Republic, when Saville was criticised for using stock photos and critics asked 'is this even graphic design'.

'The forgotten child'

Ray: 'The forgotten child' actually disturbs me too much. That was my most difficult score. This song isn't about Americans putting children in cages and Sarah Whatsherface saying it's OK, because the cages are bigger than dogs' ones, but it sounds like it is.
Nenad: Yep. It was written with different children in mind, but still – so disturbing.
Ray: Musically, 'The forgotten child' is amazing. It's possibly Neil's saddest vocal.
Nenad: The first couple of lyrics and their melody are kind of clunky...
Ray: I disagree, but okay...
Nenad: ...but I can't take away how much better it gets as it progresses. I mean, it might be English still feeling like my second language, but that's still being bothersome about a tiny little thing, it's literally the first two lines of the song.
Ray: This song, musically, distils everything that's the best about Pet Shop Boys. I just kind of can't listen to it. 'The times are brutal, borders are crossed – where is the child? The child is lost'. OMG.
Nenad: That music box breaks my heart. And the fact that it just freaking explodes into an epic dance track out of nowhere. I thought your lower score meant something different. I remember how excited I was when I first listened to it.
Ray: My way of thinking is always that I score the enjoyability of the song. 'Winner' gets a zero from me, because I CAN'T LISTEN TO THAT. I guess if I could stomach it, I'd be able to pick some nice elements, dunno, a pleasant bassdrum sound or something, but I can't and that's all.
Nenad: This is really Fundamental Mk II.
Ray: Only way better. Fundamental could do with a biiiiiit of trimming. This EP is TIGHT.
Nenad: Yep, really straight to the point. I love how 'The forgotten child' is also the inner child, a child would never murder or put anyone to prison. When you grow up you just become a jaded cynical capitalist machine. You don't give a shit about anyone else.
Ray: Where is the innocence? The innocence is lost. That's actually a great reference, the inner child.

 

Oh, I was doing the Agenda interview. We can do the weekend, especially as I just realised that I am abroad and forgot to take the Further Listening booklets with me. But no more!

 

Still doing this! I need to work on the extras/B-sides

 

Thank you so much! I promise I'll get it done!

 

Holy shit they really love talking about their music, don't they. And so do you!

 

Oh no. I've scored both those kinda low.

 

31 voters! Yaaaaaas, etc.

 

So far, the first tracks to go out from each album are positioned at #101, #99, #92, #84, #63. Any guesses?

 

Casanova In Hell, Legacy, Breathing Space, Last To Die and Sad Robot World?

 

Guessed a couple, I give you that! Still, one day left, stuff could change! Lots of love, you procrastinators.

 

Hopefully 'Hold on' (with 'Winner' at #100), 'Numb', 'Pazzo', 'Shouting in the evening' and 'Legacy'.

 

Why would anyone dislike 'Legacy' so much when 'Building a wall' is a thing that exists?