Hotspot - Forum Reactions.

[jules]

It's a very good album.
Wedding is strange, but still, it's not that bad and rather dark. My favorite is Happy people, very catchy. I don't wanna is amazing.
It's a totally different record than Super. Much more light but more melodic.

[Lleonard Pler]

Will-o-the-wisp is the best song ever. Like Radiophonic on steroids. A nice opener!

[madsnielsen]

After a few listens through the day my reaction so far. My ratings are not measured in comparison to music in general but to the superior quality of Pet Shop Boys back catalogue.

Will-o-the-wisp
Great opening track even though I find it bit messy with a bit too much going on. I like the spoken bits but not the breakdown halfway through. At the moment I'll rate it 7/10 but it'll probably increase for me over time.
You are the one
Not an instant favorite, but not bad at all. A couple of days and I won't be surprised if I rate it higher than the 5/10 I'll rate it today.
Happy people
Very upbeat track that can't do anything but to lift your mood. I'm not a happy about how the piano is played though which sounds like Chris uses all 10 fingers to hammer the keyboard as if it is a drum set. In that way it reminds a bit of Vocal which I'm not to fond of either 5/10
Dreamland
Never been a fan of this track. Neil's vocals sound compressed or whatever is the right word for what has happened. I like it better than the first few times I listened to it. When I first heard it I would have rated it 2/10 but after the initial disappointment I'll rate it 4/10
Hoping for a miracle
As I wrote earlier. WOW!!! An instant favorite from this era or maybe an all-time favorite. Tears literally ran down my cheeks at first listen. I was driving my car and I was a total mess and glad my family didn't see me as I was alone. What is happening to me? I got a similar reaction when I heard A open mind and Decide the first time. I guess the emotional reactions can be explained by a sense of gratitude that my musical heroes for the last 27 years can still hit the right cord changes and melodies like no one else. No other than PSB can write a track like this. I also love Neil's low pitched vocals in this track. I'm sure this track will remain one of my all time favorite of their entire career. Yes it's THAT good. 10/10
I don't wanna
A bit trivial and boring at the moment, but I guess a few more listens will help. 3/10
Monkey business
An interesting development for me. When I first heard the radio edit I was not happy. I found Neil's vocals irritating and intrusive. Now I understand the track even though I still find it somewhat crazy and unlike anything the boys have ever released. The album version is so much better than the edit. I would love to get a 10+ minutes of this song as it just seems to get more and more funky as the track goes on. The fade out is too fast and fails to give the impression that the song and party will go on and on. 7/10
Only the dark
I love the 80's bass line. A bit confusing melody but still a lovely track. 6/7
Burning the heather
Even better than the single version. Like Monkey business it benefits from the extra lyrics and length. Love the weird sounding trumpet middle bit. 8/10
Wedding in Berlin
What the ....? Final track curse shows it ugly face again. Feels out of place and should have been replaced by one of the B-sides. I give it 1/10 as I do find some quality in the songs melody.
The album works well as a whole and maybe the best from the Price trilogy. Hotspot 6/10. Available now on YouTube.

[Lleonard Pler]

Such a warm album. It's like the unexpected son of Nightlife and Fundamental. The singles make more sense in context and full form, except perhaps for Dreamland that sounds a little bit out of place in the tracklist. The uptempo songs are fun (although not as good as the standouts from Electric or Super) and the ballads give a nice melodic contrast.

I just don't understand why they end with the techno-gone-mad-in-a-bad-way Wedding in Berlin, breaking the elegance of the previous songs and sounds. Decide would work better as a closing track: it totally fits production-wise and theme-wise.

[Spittingcat]

I’m waiting for the CD for the first listen… but sneaked a listen to Wedding of Spotify, to get the ‘dud’ track out of the way tonight… wow… love it. If that feels like the runt at the end for other listeners, when listening to the whole album, then I expect tomorrow is going to be a good day for me! Perhaps it’s just a sequencing thing that has made it jar for others… it’s a million miles from Burning the Heather, isn’t it.

[East End Bhoy]

I don’t really swear much but Will-o- the -wisp is f****** awesome... have not heard the rest of the album except the singles but i love wtw

first listen - this...

[b2311e]

Far, far superior album to Super

Edit: Wrote that before listening to Wedding in Berlin, which in hindsight, was a touch foolish

[East End Bhoy]

mmm not getting the love for Hoping for a Miracle....yet, maybe more listens needed

[Synthrobot]

I’m up to Monkey Business. This. Is. Great!

[East End Bhoy]

I dont wanna - love it! proper cool baseline & melancholy, yes!!!

[East End Bhoy]

Monkey Business is wild in a good way.

Only the dark has taken me by surprise as how lovely it is. I'm getting the impression so far that Hotspot has far more emotional depth to it than Super

[madsnielsen]

I dont wanna - love it! proper cool baseline & melancholy, yes!!!

You don't wanna love it. But you do - don't you?

[East End Bhoy]

haha yeah, pointless resisting

[danielb92]

Feels like I'm listening to Nightlife/Behaviour/Very all at the same time.

Hoping for a miracle is certainly the best track, the chord changes are heart pulling, certainly worthy of Being Boring territory.

The tracks will grow

[East End Bhoy]

Burning the Heather, I already liked the radio edit, but this extended version is a good bit better. The song has more space to breathe

Wedding in Berlin - actually enjoyed it, was expecting worse after reading reviews on here. It's certainly not dull. Our Boys are obviously going to corner the lucrative first dance market now

Hotspot for me is great, 8/9 out of 10