Artist Pet Shop Boys

Pet Shop Boys have matured more easily than a lot of groups of their age (25 years and counting), thanks in part to a balance between heady vulnerability and arch, clever investments in the very idea of pop. Last year they worked on “I’m In Love With A German Film Star,” a song they produced for British artist Sam Taylor-Wood for the hip dance-music label Kompakt. And then earlier this year came Yes, a new album that sounds expertly crafted, if also a little slight in the scheme of things. Expect a highly reverent crowd to greet them—Pet Shop Boys are one of those groups that fans take simultaneously really seriously and as an effective stoker of fun.

Updated 08/19/2009