Album Review: Erasure – Tomorrow’s World
4 min read
You have to admit – we all love a bit of camp every now and then!
Erasure were one of the biggest pop exports of the mid to late eighties as they managed to knock out hit after hit and not only crafted but defined an era of music with their fun, energetic approach to pop fused dance beats and grinding synth heaving chart nuggets. With a vast 14 album catalogue that began with 1985’s debut Wonderland the bands celebrity also managed to make its way over the pond to the US and South America where the duo have over the years accumulated quite a large following. Since their emergence the band have sold an impressive 25 million records and achieved an astonishing 34 Top 40 and 17 Top 10 singles including Sometimes, Chains Of Love, A Little Respect, Always and Breath.
Known for their catchy hooks and infectious, glittering melodies, front man Andy Bell and Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode and Yazoo) created a catalogue of records that outshone the vast array of pop heavyweights in the eighties.
That decade may very well be over but with the increasingly popular resurgence of the synth-pop genre being evident in more and more of today’s chart topping singles Erasure have once again found themselves very relevant to the current music scene and amongst a new collection of fame hungry pop starlets and boy bands. Following front man and gay icon Andy Bell’s recent dive back into the pop pool with his solo record Non-Stop, the duo return to the world stage with Tomorrow’s World, their 14th studio record and first full length album since 2007’s Light At The End Of The World and a record that shows us that the glitter ball loving duo still pack a powerful punch when it comes to delivering some explosive tracks as heard on this latest 9 track collection.
What Will I Say When You’re Gone? and Just When I Thought It Was Ending offer us a sturdy pair of ballads on the Frankmusik produced record and both tracks sit nicely amongst the predominantly uptempo cluster of spangly pop nuggets that makes up the rest of Tomorrow’s World.
Opening track Be With You leaves us craving a little more from this comeback with its almost drowsy beat and less than creative melody but it isn’t long before we are reminded why Erasure were regarded as the definitive synth-pop superstars of the late eighties as Fill Us With Fire, complete with a grinding bass-line and some seriously meaty hooks takes us into a world of techno pop bliss. The track is both catchy and memorable and is easily transferable from bedroom playlist to early morning dance-floor filler.
Current single When I Start to (Break It All Down) is a precise and well articulated number that comes well equipped with a bubblegum, almost theme park inspired chorus which is built around a moderately laid back and minimalistic yet choppy verse structure. Though it is a nice number to add some central filling to the record it does also provide some rather strained notes by Bell who seems more comfortable with the low notes than those nearing the top of his range on this track.
Further down the track-listing I Lose Myself stands out as the pearl on the record and a definite favorite. Its vibrantly energetic and pulsating bass tones set the track aside from the rest of the record and this number shows a band back with force and at the top of their game as they return to the pop limelight.
Tomorrow’s World is the perfect return to form for the princes of synth pop deliciousness and we cant wait to see these guys do their thing as they hit the road over the coming months to showcase some of the old and some of the new numbers that Erasure have offered us over the years.
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