Xenomania news: "Yes" is released in the US today; "Legacy" is censored in China

"Yes" is released in the US today; "Legacy" is censored in China
Posted at 1:51 PM, 21 April 2009 -

The new Pet Shop Boys album gets its American release today, via Astralwerks. Both single and double-CD versions are available. The album is currently number one in Amazon's Dance & Electronic chart.

Yes was released in Argentina last week and is soon to be released in Chile, Colombia, Russia and China. In China, the song "Legacy" will appear only as an instrumental on the album. According to EMI, the lyrics "failed the censorship of the General Admission of Press and Publication department".

The offending lyrics are: "Governments fall/Glaciers melt/Hurricanes bawl"; "Resentment remain/both east and west/Police expect/an arrest"; "They're raising an army/in the North/from York Minster/to the Firth of Forth/A pilgrimage of grace/you won't believe it/Such a human face..."

Some recent American reviews of the album:

U.K. girly-pop production team Xenomania bring mirrorball sparkle to alternately anxious and elated ballads. 4/5 Spin

You could be forgiven for fearing Higgins would kill off the last bit of Pet Shop Boys’ regality, smothering it with dance beats and bubbly production. But, in a somewhat shocking turn of events, the paring has actually achieved its goal…and then some. Transcending rote “return to form” clichés, Yes is one of Pet Shop Boys’ best albums ever. 7/10 PopMatters

On their excellent 10th album, the music leans toward the ornate, with snatches of Tchaikovsky and spaghetti-Western atmospherics enveloping the synths and house beats. 3/5 Rolling Stone

When the economy finally kicks the last velvet-rope VIP down to the breadline, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe will remain in their hot tubs, counting their gold. Because no one writes better dance-pop odes to the Fallen Empire of the Feel-Good Class. B+ Entertainment Weekly

Yes is the sound of the Pet Shop Boys unwinding and returning to their usual fascinations; isolation, fashion, grand arrangements, and witty synth pop anthems. 3.5/5 All Music Guide