Mature, Arch and Crafty.

This Pitchfork review, normally not a supreme example of concise writing, does a great job at defining the complexity of PSB for people who don't worship at their altar.

"It's worth nothing that we don't have much of this kind of act in America. Our pop stars are relentlessly young, and these days they're expected to be knowable, physical, and guileless; the words they sing are meant to dramatize who they actually are, and how great they are at it (just like you). We worship at the altar of the words I Am, I Can, I Will, and I'm Gonna. (We're also notoriously averse to frothy disco, except as a novelty: Our dance music comes from hip-hop.) The Pet Shop Boys belong in a British role that's irresistibly far from that, a lineage of pop laureates of the sort that Jarvis Cocker and Saint Etienne aspire to be. They're commentators, not dramatizers-- mature, arch, and crafty."

Consider also how London is honoring the boys lately: Telegraph UK

I would love to see the concert at Radio City Music Hall next week. Some kind soul needs a date?