Coming down from the ambitious, politically charged Fundamental, Yes is the sound of the Pet Shop Boys unwinding and returning to their usual fascinations: isolation, fashion, grand arrangements, and witty synth pop anthems. Unfortunately, they're in a slump with their songwriting, and subject-wise, every song here has a companion piece on some earlier album, but that doesn't mean the party is spoiled. The delicate electro opener "Love Etc." is PSB perfection with its memorable hook and faultless construction. Brian Higgins and his Xenomania team (Saint Etienne, Girls Aloud) share songwriting and production duties on the track, and while that later credit continues for the remainder of the album, the hip crew becomes invisible as singer Neil Tennant and synth-man Chris Lowe take over. Employing an Abbey Road orchestra and hiring Johnny Marr for some Hollywood guitar seems a familiar Pet Shop Boys maneuver, and when Tennant tops it off with some sardonic lyrics, "Beautiful People" becomes a pleasingly comfortable gift for any fan thrown by Fundamental's action committee attitude. "Did You See Me Coming" is the exhilarated infatuation of "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Sort of Thing" all over again, while "King of Rome" is the spitting image of the duo's 1987 chestnut "King's Cross." These are good things, especially for the sworn fan, and so are the few quirky new ideas, like the duo trading lines Run-D.M.C. style on "Building a Wall." The grand closer "Legacy" is the obvious songwriting highlight, partly because of the Kurt Weill-like breakdown in the middle, but mostly because of the grim way it comforts the brokenhearted. Neil proposes that glaciers melt and stars burn out so there's a pretty good chance that given time "you'll get over it." It's much better than the "Is that a riot/or are you just glad to see me" line in "Pandemonium" and just the touch Yes needs to put this above the standard PSB album. [Yes: Further Listening 2008-2010, a three-CD remastered edition of the album, was released in 2017, and included two bonus discs featuring previously unreleased demos, mixes, versions, and more. A booklet with commentary by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, as well as archival photographs, was included in the set as well.] ~ David Jeffries
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (p.66) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "On their excellent 10th album, the music leans toward the ornate, with snatches of Tchaikovsky and spaghetti-Western atmospherics enveloping the synths and house beats."
Spin (p.94) - "U.K. girly-pop production team Xenomania bring mirrorball sparkle to alternately anxious and elated ballads."
Q (Magazine) (p.109) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Amazed by love's arrival, devastated by its departure, Tennant never lets himself become jaded. That joyous surrender courses through the irresistible 'Pandemonium'..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.100) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A]lmost every track here is a potential hit. Tennant casts a withering glance at stardom on lead-off single 'Love Etc., with its memorable call-and-response chorus..."
