New versions of classic tracks are tricky. Artists frequently return to their greatest hits or obscure loves because it brings them back to a period of excessive quality. U2, Neil Young and Van Morrison had varying degrees of success with this pattern of release, and it appears Pet Shop Boys are trying their hand at it. After the impressive works on Nonetheless, additional EP release Furthermore feels like a bit of a step back. Consider the quality of those initial works. Perfect flickers of a generation, of a new scene in music which would soon become the chart powerhouse, cementing Pet Shop Boys as a consistent, contemporary act. What is the purpose, then, of reinventing your old works? Furthermore is a questionable project because it brings into focus the desire for artists to reinvent their glory days, as though the current output is not as strong, stronger in some cases, than their pop highs.
“Good enough” should not be the words anywhere near a Pet Shop Boys project. Opener Heart has a deeper groove to it, a louder electronic beat that almost overwhelms everything else. Neil Tennant struggles to stand out alongside this relatively plain reimagining of the instrumental section, but it is not a critical moment for Furthermore. He still sounds exceptional, with a never-changing voice which has the same pitch and wonderful emotional range as it did in those debut works. But Furthermore does little to further the original tracks. Those swinging instrumentals may be an initially interesting change, but the more they are relied on, the less they are changed through Furthermore, it becomes clear to hear Pet Shop Boys are not experimenting with the far reaches of their sound. It feels more like a reminder these songs exist, which is peculiar since these are some of their greatest hits.
Very little, if anything, changed here benefits the songs in question. A shame, too, since the recent run of Pet Shop Boys material has been relatively fun. It has a freeing consistency to it which puts them ahead of the curve and, crucially, maintains them as a contemporary artist rather than a legacy act. They appear to undo this with Furthermore, an afterthought EP which takes a trip down memory lane when they do it enough in their live shows. That is the bonus of hearing the duo in concert, not something listeners require in the comfort of their home. Always on My Mind and It’s a Sin are met with the same relatively stale but upbeat qualities ringing through the rest of the EP.
Nothing bad, nothing good, just noise. It is a shame it comes to this for Pet Shop Boys, especially after releasing some of their best material in well over a decade on Nonetheless. A love of adverbs appears to be the reason for an overflow release, reworking their old songs not with the context of their new work but with a plodding, almost plain instrumental backing it. Being Boring feels like a bit of a self-inflicted wound. It is a bit boring. Nothing objectively terrible but it all feels like a quick grab at relevancy, a chance to reinvent songs which were perfectly fine to begin with. Revisionism of a musical past is dangerous waters to paddle in, and while Pet Shop Boys are away from the dangerous waters Morrison and U2 are in, they are without a paddle as they search for a new sound in old songs.
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As a huge fan of PSB, I tend to agree with almost everything you said. I’ve listened to ‘nonetheless’ countless times since it’s release (I was lucky to be one of the first 200 people to hear it at the launch event in King’s Place, London: with an on-stage interview too). However, I have only listened to the new versions once. Heart is the stand out one, but everything felt a bit ‘meh’.
Now to address my “almost” statement. This was not a relevancy grab. PSB have never, and will never think like this. Especially as they know how relevant they already are. 40 years and 71 singles tells us this. Along with no signs of slowing down.
These boys are just amazing I have loved them from the very first time I ever seen them on top off the pops what great people so respected everywhere they go have loved them for such a long time there new album is brilliant as I knew it would no worries