Pitchfork

Known for their multitudinous dance hits of the 1980s, the Pet Shop Boys sing their last hurrah with Essential, a greatest hits remix collection. A band that thrived on lyrical and musical irony, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe embraced arrogance and pretentiousness: They were different, and they wanted everyone to notice.

Well, the irony continues: this latest "best of" collection (how many more of these does the world really need?) features the worst of their remixes. "Domino Dancing" appears in its shoddiest form ever, while a remix of "West End Girls" plods along like the boring track that it is. (Actually, this is the original version of the song. It was the 1984 remix that went to #1 worldwide.)

If these guys had a party, this is what they might play in the background. Not because they're particularily into these versions, but because what it really boils down to is extremely stretched- out mood music. And they would dig the irony of it all.