Let's talk about "Fundamental"

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

One listen, only one track i want to relisten to right now. Maybe two. (Meanwhile I'm in love with the new Futureheads album.)

We could talk about how crushing it is to find your relationship with a band has hit total apathy (another PSB album? oh right), and how a band you once loved fit to busting, a part of your identity has gone a bit meh. We could talk about new/old passions. The PSB's self described "imperial phase" (and that theory applied elsewhere).

Or we could say, well tune X is ok, and the lyrics are fun, where are the exciting bits, blah?

Let's not talk about if they are pop or indie. they are both, and it doesn't matter. they ARE pop, and we talk about that here

Comments

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I agree, I think the "I don't actually care that the PSBs have released an album" thing bit with me last time - I still haven't heard Release in full. I've not got to the tipping point where I actually think their new music is awful - as I did with Moz a while ago - but yeah...

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

likewise w release. i got a freebie of it last year and it was the first time i listened to it all the way. this is the first new one in the era of having naughty internet skeelz.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

When I heard that a new PSB album was forthcoming I got briefly excited, then I remembered that it was 2006 and their heyday is ridiculously far behind us. I would not have bothered buying it, but I copied it off the promo someone else got sent, and I listened to it once, and I will not listen to it again. The music is OK I guess (except that "OK I guess" is NOT GOOD ENOUGH when it comes to PSB); the lyrics are what distress me most as they're just appalling and clunky.

I think there should be a compulsory retirement age for pop stars, and exceptions would only be made if they could prove that they were still making music on a par with their peak (eg Madge).

[cis.livejournal.com]

but by that logic we would have force-retired Madge at American Life and therefore not got what came after it, no?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Oh but American Life was at least half-great to balance out the half-dire! It had 'Die Another Day' on it => keep on keepin' on, Madge.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

One of the odd things about the PSBs is the way they traced a really perfect narrative career arc from New Pop enthusiasts through the imperial phase, the 'wealthy pop patrons' phase, the mature artistic album and then the final hi-NRG flourish. "Go West" and its Lowe-sung coda could have been the end, and you feel almost were designed as the end, and they came back anyway.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I think they've done ONE song since 'Go West' which can stand up to virtually everything they did before it - 'Miracles', which is utterly lovely. ('Can I Forgive Her?' was pre-GW, wasn't it? I cannot remember)

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

very: can u forgive her 1st, go west last. and released in that relative order too. so yes pre GW

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. In fact Miracles is so much better than anything else post-GW that my immediate thought was that they'd just resurrected a song from the Behaviour-era that had never quite fitted on any other release and saved for the inevitable greatest hits.

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

"Miracles" is glorious, but I think their best post-GW single is "I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore".

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Hmm I don't mind IDKWYW... but it seems to only just stand out from the morass of OK-ness which is PSB-post-GW.

I tried to listen to Fundamental again last night and I just can't.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

What has T. Horn brought to the party if anything? (On basis of first 3 tracks - heard on listening post yesterday - he seems intent on reviving 80s industrial pop.)

(Aside: as all kno I think PSBs are the band most overrated by this community. Watching that C4 thing last night I decided they were good songwriters but a bit rub at realising their own material.)

[thenipper.livejournal.com]

As I understand it, Horn wasn't keen on redoing his trademark 80s thing and NT had to actively encourage it!

At some point in the 90s I think Tennant's voice became quite horrible to listen to and it has never recovered. Like a middle-aged choirboy passed through an auto-tuner.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Yes, this was sadly also the point at which he decided he could sing (viz "Before" etc.)