Grade: 4.0/5.0
The iconic electronic-pop duo Pet Shop Boys have returned with a new project that chronicles the life of esteemed British mathematician Alan Turing, illustrating the intersection of science and sexuality through his eyes. A Man From the Future was originally written more than a decade ago by singer Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe and premiered in July 2014 in concert with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Now they’ve reworked the project to infuse it with their renowned electronic sound, commemorating Alan Turing’s legacy in a musical memorial.
On A Man From The Futurethe Pet Shop Boys delve into the man behind the inventions, with British actress Juliet Stevenson narrating passages from Andrew Hodges’ book “Alan Turing: the Enigma.” The album delves into many unconventional sounds, weaving electronic and classical instrumentation together while painting a picture of the tribulations Turing endured. His works contributed immensely to his nation’s victory in World War II even as he was simultaneously being persecuted for his sexuality.
Opening track “Natural Wonders Every Child Should Know” layers Stevenson’s voice over cinematic strings, with vocals from Neil Tennant and the Manchester Grammar School Choir creating a haunting soundscape. Throughout the project’s eight tracks, the Pet Shop Boys contend with the intersection of science and sexuality — how the work may contradict or correlate with the identity. In its commentary, the opening number lays the groundwork for how these ideas took root for Turing in his childhood.
“He Dreamed of Machines” shifts fully into an electronic sound, with synthy melodies and trance-like instrumentation introducing Turing’s love for machines. “Other Ranks” directly voices an incongruity of Turing’s work with his sexuality, Tennant’s vocals repeating “science and sex,” as if the two are in disagreement with one another. The orchestration almost becomes discordant, elucidating this discrepancy to the listener.
In Turing’s lifetime, homosexuality was a criminally offensive act under the Criminal Law Amendment Act, which banned “gross indecency” between men. Turing was tried and convicted in 1952 for his relationship with Arnold Murray, after which he underwent chemical castration. The track “The Trial” chronicles this, opening with bright idyllic strings and a speculative chorus by Tennant, asking, “Can you think what I feel? / Can you feel what I think? / Can we sleep together as lovers? / Can we think and feel the same thing?” As the song progresses and the narrative unfolds, the beat amps up, a sense of dread pervading the track; even so, the sorrowful nature of the melody carries a sensation of hope.
In 1952, Turing wrote a letter to mathematician Norman Routledge just prior to his trial, with the famous line, “Turing believes machines think. Turing lies with men. Therefore machines do not think.” The track closes out with this quote, making “The Trial” the most intimate piece on the project, exploring his state of mind and giving context to his alleged suicide in 1954.
The album closes with its namesake track, “A Man From the Future,” a true culmination of the project that ties in lyrics and motifs from previous numbers to weave together a seamless conclusion. Incorporating a statement from former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s 2009 apology to Alan Turing and Queen Elizabeth II’s 2013 official pardon, the song calls into question the state’s role in determining right and wrong and the future of computing: “Can a computer change its mind? / Does a computer have rules for right and wrong? / Do you believe this story is true? / In the age of so-called artificial intelligence, could a machine have written it?”
While Turing died decades ago, his influence on computer science has cemented his professional legacy indefinitely, exemplified by the Pet Shop Boys now calling into question the treatment of Turing’s personal legacy in 2026. Through A Man From the Futurethe Pet Shop Boys swirl together their familiar electronic sound and ideas of machinery with classical orchestration and the naturalistic world, creating a fitting commemoration of a fascinating, tragic life.
Source: www.dailycal.org
