British music icons, Pet Shop Boys, have been recording music for more than 30 years together. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe released their first album Please way back in 1986. Preceded by the single “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” the year before that withered on the charts before disappearing, the duo returned with the classic techno pop single “West End Girls” that went to #1 in both the UK and coveted US market. A grey sky video shows the pair walking around parts of London which captured the eye and ears of this young writer (I was 11 at the time) and may very well have influenced my eventual move to the UK for a couple of years after university.
“West End Girls” is one of the most memorable singles of the 80s and appeared as song one on the band’s first greatest hits compilation, Discography. Three other tracks from Please also made the cut on that album including “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” whose re-released version made it into the top 10 in the US, the sort of ballad “Love Comes Quickly”, and “Suburbia” (presented here without the single’s memorable barking dogs). Superb album track “Tonight Is Forever” appears after this run of singles. It would be hard to keep up the momentum and that is what happens with last four fine but non-essential tracks.
The 2018 Further Listening version comes with an extra disc of remixes, 7”/12” edits, and B-sides. Two versions of “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” are included with the 12” version being the preferred. “West End Girls” appears in a dance mix that ups the percussion ratio to floor filling effect. B-sides include the “Blue Monday” sounding “In The Night”, upbeat “Was That What It Was” that could easily pass as a single and the dance track “Paninaro” presented here in it’s Italian Mix. The Further Listening disc of non-album tracks shows that there was very little drop off in quality from the excellent debut, Please.
Please – 8.5/10
Further Listening – 8.5/10
Back in 2013 we called New Jersey’s Yo La Tengo one of the greatest American guitar bands ever. The trio returns with their fifteenth studio album and first set of all originals since that year’s Fade album. While learning how to use Pro Tools, bassist James Mcnew started recording the band’s practice sessions and soundscapes which lead to working on songs for this release.
With Elton John’s Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace coming to an end in May, myself and the missus packed our bags and headed down. 
Annie Proulx’s 1993 novel The Shipping News won the Pulitzer Price for fiction in 1994. The story tells of Quoyle who moves back Newfoundland with his two daughters and aunt after his wife leaves him. His family was from the area of Killick-Claw area but his parents had emigrated to New York state many years before. Reviews for the book veer from “masterpiece” to “rubbish”. I fall somewhere in the middle but closer to the latter. While Proulx paints a vivid picture of Newfoundland, I never fully connected with the characters and had to push myself through it. 6/10
Mark Manson released The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** in the fall of 2016 and since then has sold millions and the author has gained many followers. There are moments in the first few sections of the book where “f***” gets used quite a bit and grows rather tiresome but once that gives way, there are plenty of good life lessons revealed. A lot can be boiled down to “don’t sweat the small stuff” and don’t run away from your problems. Face them, tackle them, then trade up to more important problems. You only get so many f***s to give in life so choose wisely. Excellent book that I look forward to reading again in the near future. 9/10
The Rosie Project is the debut from Australian writer Graeme Simsion that has sold a few million copies since being published in 2013. The novel follows the plight of professor Don Tillman trying to find a wife who fits his rigid criteria when he meets the less than perfect Rosie and decides to help her find out who her real father is. Simsion keeps this romcom of a book moving along swiftly with many funny moments that has the reader rooting for Don and Rosie to get together. A movie has been in the works with directors/actors coming and going for a few years now, hopefully it sees the light of day soon. 7.5/10
The Light Appears 