Fundamental (Pet Shop Boys album)
Fundamental is the ninth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released in May 2006 in the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan and Canada. It was released in late June 2006 in the United States. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number five on 28 May 2006. In the US the album peaked at number 150 selling 7,500 copies in its first week. As of April 2009 it had sold 46,000 copies in the US and 66,000 copies in the UK. Fundamental earned two Grammy nominations at the 2007 Grammy Awards for Best Dance/Electronic Album and Best Dance Recording with "I'm with Stupid".
Fundamental | ||||
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Studio album by Pet Shop Boys | ||||
Released | 22 May 2006 | |||
Recorded | 2005 | |||
Studio | Sarm West (London) | |||
Genre |
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Length | 48:39 50:26 (Fundamentalism) | |||
Label | Parlophone | |||
Producer |
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Pet Shop Boys chronology | ||||
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Singles from Fundamental | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 77/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Blender | |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
The Guardian | |
The Independent | |
NME | 6/10 |
Pitchfork Media | 6.5/10 |
Q | |
Robert Christgau | |
Slant Magazine |
The album was produced by the Pet Shop Boys and Trevor Horn and it features eleven new Pet Shop Boys compositions, and "Numb", written by Diane Warren (Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe originally planned to have "Numb" be one of two new tracks on PopArt, but opted instead for "Miracles" and "Flamboyant").
The liner notes show that the album is dedicated to two executed Iranian gay teenagers, Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, who were hanged on 19 July 2005. Some reports have suggested the two may have been executed for engaging in homosexual behaviour, though the official Iranian report was that they were hanged for raping a 13-year-old boy. The album was very well received by critics, some considering it to be their best album since Very, but its sales failed to improve much on the sales of their last two albums.
The album re-entered the UK Album Chart at number thirty-two in 2017 following the album's Further Listening 2005-2007 reissue.