[Introspective] Electric!

[hjs15 at columbia.edu]

After missing the shop closing by ten minutes yesterday evening, I  
went this afternoon to buy the CD and was treated to a bonus 24"x24"  
free poster of the album art on rather high quality paper stock.  What  
an excellent treat and addition to my already too-large collection of  
PSB posters.  For other New Yorkers, the store in question is J&R  
Music World down by City Hall.

What can I say that hasn't already been said?  It's their strongest  
album since Very, possibly even Introspective.  After a decidedly  
laid-back Elysium [which I do like very much, in fact] this satisfies  
the craving for electro-pop PSB that we got hints of with 'A Face Like  
That' and 'A certain je ne sais quoi'.  PSB should make Stuart Price  
honorary third member.

Those first synth stabs opening 'Axis', layered over that electro  
bassline and vocoder effects -- that's what got me hooked on PSB as a  
12-year-old and twenty-eight years later the excitement of unwrapping  
a new album of theirs and hearing sounds like that come out of my  
stereo speakers for the first time never grows old.

Speaking of which, this is totally worth the purchase of the disc  
version for the artwork alone-- that fold-out is an impressive  
packaging design and it's nice to get a lyric sheet.  All you itunes  
and mp3 converts should really pony up for this one in the old-school  
style.