ERASURE - "ERASURE"

This is the self-titled 1995 album by 80's band, Erasure.  For those of you who aren't in the know, Erasure are a duo consisting of Andy Bell and Vince Clarke (of Yazoo and Depeche Mode fame).  They enjoyed a great deal of success with their previous albums but this one was a bit of a dark horse.  

Up to this point, Erasure were most notable for great pop music.  They were the undisputed masters of the 3 minute hit single.  With amazing hooks and catchy lyrics easy to sing along with, they were an established band with a loyal following.  

But something changed with this record.

After this album came out, Vince Clarke started doing side projects like The Clarke/Ware Experiment where he developed soundscapes rather than pop songs and we see the origin of that happening here.  Some of the songs on this album have long synth solos and complicated motifs playing under the main vocals.  To call the record challenging would be a fair assessment.  If I'm not mistaken, this album started a slide in album sales for the band.  This is the first record in a long time that failed to make #1 in the UK.

The disc is obviously experimental and was the band's attempt to break out of the musical confines they found themselves in.  This can either be a good or a bad thing depending on the result.  I love groups who challenge themselves, but like most critics and fans, when it doesn't work out, I can't hide my disappointment.  "Erasure" is a little harder to judge.  It doesn't exactly succeed and it doesn't fail.  I'm not sure it broadened the palate of Erasure fans, but at the same time, it did in many ways expand what they would expect in the future from the band.

One thing is certain, Clarke and Bell are an amazing song writing team and they compose music that is simply joyful.  This album is no exception.  The infectious hooks and sing along melodies are all present.  It's the longer song times that initially hold you back from getting too caught up.  But in even this regard, Clarke seemed prepared.  They would extend the songs with trance-like beats and qualities that make the tracks seem almost religiously zen.  Take 'Sono Luminous' for example...  After the main body of the song ends around 5 minutes you still have a three minute slow fade out that ends with Bell singing acapella in a gospel style.

The very next track, 'Fingers & Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day)' delivers another long fade out.  This one lasts around two minutes and appears in the middle of the song.  'Rock Me Gently' is the most egregious example of these soundscape solos.  Clocking in around 10 minutes, over half this song is a synth trance solo. 

These songs are all mid-tempo with nothing really breaking the dance barrier.  Another reason fans might not like the disc.  

The first time I heard this album, I wasn't sure what to make of it.  I sorta thought it would grow on me the way the Pet Shop Boys album "Bilingual" did, but unfortunately, it hasn't.  I still like the music.  I'm especially partial to the singles from this album.  The edited versions of songs are more enjoyable and some of the b-sides during this time are outstanding.  I love them!

But the truth is, this might be the last Erasure disc I'll pull from my shelf to listen to.  I almost always listen to it only when I'm on an Erasure kick and I work my way through their records.  Still, it's so much better than a lot of the stuff coming out during that period of time.

My final words:  AN EXPERIMENTAL CHOICE FROM A POPULAR GROUP!

ERASURE - "ERASURE"
01. Intro: Guess I'm Into Feeling
02. Rescue Me
03. Sono Luminous
04. Fingers & Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day)
05. Rock Me Gently
06. Grace
07. Stay With Me
08. Love The Way You Do So
09. Angel
10. I Love You
11. A Long Goodbye