X2 Vinyl & CDs

Review: Britain's most successful synth-pop duo might now be in their early sixties, but the Pet Shop Boys are still capable of crafting near perfect songs - as their forthcoming album "Hotspot" proves. There's plenty to enjoy on this taster single, which like the rest of the album was co-produced by Stuart Price. "Burning The Heather" is a warming and autumnal affair, with their usual bright synths being toned down in favour of jangly acoustic guitars and the kind of bittersweet electronic sounds that dominated their superb 1990 album "Behaviour". Flipside "Decide" is a more upbeat and throbbing affair that includes a rare vocal from the sometime "third sexist man in pop" Chris Lowe (albeit one drenched in auto-tune).