Parlophone
Pop, 2002

Oh, dear Pet Shop Boys, what happened to you? Release is so dull and boring that it is hard to imagine that this is the same duo that offered gems like DJ Culture, West End Girls, Rent, and Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money). Release is filled with watered-down dull tracks that sound as if they come straight out of a Tears For Fears reject bin.

The only track worth noting is The Night I Fell in Love, a really corny gay Mary Sue love song where the narrator meets Eminem backstage, has hot sex with Eminem, and the next day they fall in love and live happily ever after. This is a classic gay porn stereotype: an English schoolboy and the man that deflowers him, which would be nothing interesting if the whole luridly corny lyrics aren’t a joke at the exhibitionist homophobe Eminem’s expense. Set to a really gay-Chicago-sounding background track, this song is as brilliant a satire as Eminem’s own Stan was. Not only it pokes fun at the misconception that every homophobe is a closeted gay man, it also mocks Eminem’s Stan persona. It’s a hoot.

Still, not good enough to make up for the other nine nondescript filler tracks in this disappointing release.