30 REASONS TO LOVE ERASURE

This year sees Erasure celebrate their 30th anniversary with, among other things, a recent acoustic show and an intriguing huge boxset, From Moscow To Mars, which comes out today, 9 December. There is a lot to love to within the box and I recently reviewed it for XS Noize as you can read here: http://www.xsnoize.com/box-set-review-erasure-from-moscow-to-mars/ . Rather than review it here too, I thought I'd approach Erasure's 30th birthday from a different angle. I've been a fan for at least 25 of those 30 years and Erasure are one of the bands that have remained a constant in my life, so I thought I'd celebrate the band's anniversary with my own take on the Erasure 30 theme. Here are my 30 reasons why you should you love Erasure.

1 to 5: Some personal highlights:

1. The Chorus album
Let's start with the band's very best work - 1991's Chorus. In an era when Erasure specialised in releasing incredible hit singles, every song on Chorus was a potential top 10 track. From the title track to the gorgeous closing track Home, Chorus is Erasure at their finest. Bonus points too to Vince for his stunning analogue synth work throughout. The bleeps and beeps that run through the album were a particular thrill at the time and they still sound stunning now. If you don't have this album, then you're really letting yourself down. Go and get it now.



2. Drama!
I'll come on to Erasure's remarkable ability with a pop single shortly, but I felt I had to highlight what I think is their greatest single, 1989's sublime Drama! With The Innocents, Erasure effectively mastered pop music, creating one of electronic pop's most remarkable albums, so their next move was always going to be interesting. Drama! added layers and layers to Erasure's sound, creating a powerful, over the top, extravagant masterpiece that still thrills to this day. An outstanding track and, as a bonus fact, one that features The Jesus And Mary Chain on backing vocals. That's quite a collision of two worlds.



3. Oh L'Amour
Simply perfect. As wonderful a love song as you'll get and an example of why early Erasure should not be ignored. How this single failed to have any impact is beyond me. Don't let Dollar's subsequent dreadful cover cloud it for you. Oh L'Amour is one of Erasure's most important singles and a song that remains a much loved part of their live set today. A useless piece of trivia is that it was the first song me and my mate John Harrower attempted when we formed a band in high school. Let's just say we didn't quite match Erasure. Dollar yes, but not Erasure.



4. No Doubt
Erasure's recent albums might not have matched their earlier work for consistency, but they can't be ignored as they contain many gems. No Doubt  is the opening track of 2005's Nightbird and it revisits the soulful feel of some of the band's Innocents era tracks, adding sublime analogue sounds and featuring a chorus that soars. Album openers are tricky to get right but with No Doubt, Erasure nail it. The live version on the Nightbird tour was astonishing.



5. Heart Of Stone
Much like Chorus, The Innocents was full of songs that would easily have walked into the top 10. One of the great Erasure album tracks (and there are many) is Heart Of Stone from that album. It's pure pop perfection with wonderful lyrics where Andy sings of regret over a lost love. Easily one of their greatest songs, the album version, which is as near as perfect as you can get, was surpassed on the Phantasmagorical Tour with a live version that is beyond superb.



6 to 10: B-sides

6. Don't Suppose (Country Joe Mix)
Like any band worth caring about in the 1980's, Erasure knew the value of b-sides and their catalogue is filled with gems that in places rivaled the a-sides they accompanies. Don't Suppose is the b-side to Chains Of Love and it's best sampled in this remixed from the 12" release. The song has a melody that would bring a tear to a glass eye and lyrics that you can't help but adore. The additional banjo on this remix (hence the name) only serves to add a charming degree of country and western melancholy to great effect.

7. Die 4 Love
This track is the b-side from 2014's Reason single and it's almost a crime that it didn't make the cut for The Violet Flame. The song is reminiscent of a Chorus era b-side, which itself is a compliment, and it has one of those Erasure choruses. You know the type - instantly memorable, classic and impossible to forget. Other bands struggle for this sort of thing. Erasure use them as b-sides. That says all you need to know.

8. Ghost
The 1994 single I Love Saturday was released as an e.p. giving us three additional tracks, all of which are worthy of inclusion here. Truly, Madly, Deeply's dark club feel is wonderful and Tragic (Live Vocal) is a spooky electro masterpiece, but it's Ghost that wins the day. 6 minutes long, confident, dark, it's a sensational track and provides a handy indicator for where Erasure were heading next with 1995's self titled album.

9. Over The Rainbow
Over The Rainbow is the b-side of Chorus the first release from the album of the same name. As with anything from that period, this song is unimpeachable genius and it pops up on the 7" and cd single. Sampled German vocals start, leading us into as jaunty a song as you'll ever need, where Andy sings about sitting by a pool listening to ABBA and much more. So, so good.

10. Gimme Gimme Gimme
Talking of ABBA, as we'll see and as you of course know, the band are fans and this was shown when a cover of this track featured as an extra track on the Oh L'Amour 12", appearing again in remixed form on the Limited Edition 12". It's a faithful cover, but it has an Erasure twist and it's one of the first Erasure tracks I can remember hearing, so it's a special one for me.

11-14: Erasure Live

11. Live generally
Erasure are an amazing live band. If you haven't seen them, you really have to experience it. As well as songs you will know inside out, they fill their setlists with classic album tracks, Vince remixes songs to update them for the shows and Andy never, EVER fails to give anything other than an 10/10 performance. As for his vocals live, trust me, you'll struggle to hear a better performer. Erasure will tour next year, so if you haven't seen them, change that. If you're in Glasgow, prepare yourselves for one of the loudest crowds at any gig you'll see next year. Not to be missed.



12. The Phantasmagorical Tour
The Wild world tour saw Erasure fill arenas worldwide and they ended the whole thing playing to a packed Milton Keynes bowl. For the tour following the Chorus album, they instead focused on smaller venues playing multiple nights at the likes of the Hammersmith Odeon and Edinburgh Playhouse. I saw them for the first time at the Playhouse and it was a remarkable experience. A setlist that played all of Chorus, the ABBA-esque e.p, a mechanical swan, Vince in a synth tank, backing singers who (a) were amazing and (b) John and I fell in love with instantly, halftime bingo and so much more - the whole thing was bewildering. It's still one of the finest shows I've seen and it highlights just how good Erasure are live.



13. The Tiny Tour
After a break of four years, Erasure returned to playing live with a hit packed set on the Tiny Tour, so called because they played small venues. Well, small to them anyway - I saw that at the Barrowlands for example. It was the first time tracks from Erasure had been played live and songs like Sono Luminus and Rock Me Gently fitted into their set seamlessly. Vince used old BBC computers on stage too which was rather cool. It was great to have them playing live again and, as they always do, they had the whole of the Barrowlands jumping.



14. The Violet Flame Tour
2014's The Violet Flame is up there with Erasure's best work which puts the album in rather illustrious company. The tour that accompanies it was Erasure's best in years with a live set that mixed classics with new tracks and saw Vince remix a number of songs for the live arena, using classic 12" mixes to great effect. The energy in the performances was a joy to behold and the gigs I saw were just huge celebrations of a band who deserve to be celebrated.



15-17: Albums

15. I Say I Say I Say
1994's I Say I Say I Say is often unfairly overlooked. The band didn't tour the album and Vince barely appeared in any of the videos. This apparent lack of enthusiasm from band is matched by the lack of enthusiasm most people have in the album but it's not album to be ignored. I Say I Say I Say marks the end of Erasure's pure pop phase with a near flawless collection of ten songs ranging from the full on pop of I Love Saturday to the more experimental So The Story Goes. It also features one of the greatest tracks Always which I'll come on to shortly. As a bridge between Chorus and Erasure, I Say I Say I Say is an important Erasure album and one to love.

 

16. Erasure
This self titled album was released in 1995 and it saw Erasure at their most experimental. Gone were the three minute pop gems, replaced instead by lengthy tracks some of which were predominatly instrumental. The band's ability with melodies didn't disappear however, with tracks like Fingers And Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day) pushing the pop buttons perfectly. The album contains a number of tracks that are among the most gorgeous Erasure have produced - Sono Luminus and Rock Me Gently for example and the lead single, Stay With Me, is Erasure at their finest. Erasure is an album everyone should own.



17. Wonderland
The band's debut may be flawed in places but you can't ignore it. The singles are of course all great, but Wonderland is notable especially for two tracks that, for me, showed that Erasure were onto something special. Reunion and Love Is A Loser still sound as fresh as a daisy and both are simply perfect synthpop. The latter is as good as any of the singles releases from the album and when the band played it on the Phantasmagorical Tour, it received the warmest of welcomes. A sensational song.




18-22: 5 Singles everyone should own (that I haven't already mentioned)

18. A Little Respect
Obviously. I'll even overlook the dig at Depeche Mode in the video ;)



19. Always
Have Erasure produced a more perfect love song that Always? The short answer is no. It's hard to adequately describe how incredible this track is. If you don't love it, you don't have a soul.



20. Stay With Me
As I mentioned above, Erasure at their finest.



21. Heavenly Action
Ignore anyone that says this is a bit too poppy - it's a love song, it's Erasure, it's therefore a winner.



22. Breathe
If anyone thought Erasure's time had been and gone, 2005's Breathe put them right. There aren't many bands who can produce pop music like this. Embrace it.



23-25: E.P's

23. Crackers International e.p.
Not content with releasing chart dominating singles and albums, Erasure decided to release a festive(ish) e.p. in 1988. Crackers International features five songs over its formats. The main e.p. contains four songs - Stop!, The Hardest Part, Knocking On Your Door and She Won't Be Home. Each one is, for want of a better phrase, a cracker with Stop! and Knocking On Your Door yet further examples of how to nail pop music, The Hardest Part a moody number and She Won't Be Home the one song on here that actually mentions Christmas. There's an odd bit after the line "She phones her mum" where there's a sampled voice saying "Hello" which never fails to make you think someone is in the room saying hello to you. Listen to it - you'll see what I mean. The remix 12" and cd was called Crackers International Part II and featured remixes of Stop! and Knocking On Your Door plus a rather spooky take on God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. The limited edition Christmas card mini cd single is a rarity worth having.



24 Abba-esque
If you're going to pay tribute to a band, why not record an e.p. of some of their best known songs and put your stamp on it to such an extent that you end up arguably bettering the originals. Ok, the rap by MC Kinky in Take A Chance On Me is remarkably bad, but that aside this e.p, which also features SOS, Voulez Vous and Lay All Your Love On Me is a masterpiece. The limited edition remix e.p. is superb too. This was Erasure's first number one which seems remarkable given the singles that preceded it and it was richly deserved. It was also Mute Records' first number one.




25. Am I Right?
Am I Right? is the third single the band released from Chorus which means of course that the song falls in to the act of genius category. The single took the form of an e.p. with three superb extra tracks Carry On Clangers, Let It Flow and Waiting For Sex keeping Am I Right? company. One Saturday morning at the time I saw an advert in Melody Maker saying a remix e.p. had been released too so I jumped on the bus from Castle Douglas to Dumfries, headed to Barnstorm records and bought it. The power of advertising eh? The remix e.p. is wonderful too, featuring remixes of Am I Right? by The Grid, Chorus by Moby and Love To Hate You by LFO together with an acoustic version of Chorus album track Perfect Stranger. 




26-30: The Rest of Erasure

26. Artwork
One aspect of the Erasure's releases that stands out is the artwork, certainly up to and including the Erasure album. Crackers International's festive art (below) is beautiful, the Chorus album cover's robotic features echoes the music perfectly and The Circus era singles and album are absolute peaches. The band took a lot of care with how they presented each release and the artwork only served to highlight how magical the songs it packaged were.

26. Remixes
Like their labelmates Depeche Mode. Erasure were at the forefront of remixes in the days when the notion of 12" remixes simply meant adding 8 bars of extra bassline in the middle of the 7" version. Throughout their career, they've releases some outstanding remixes, too many in fact to run through in any depth here. The Am I Right? remix e.p. mentioned above is notable, but really most of their remixes up to recent times when they've become a bit too generic are worth having, especially from The Innocents era. Andy and Vince have even turned their hand to remixing themselves in recent years with Vince's takes on Stop, Chains Of Love and Hallowed Ground particular favourites of mine.



27. Pop! The First 20 Hits
If you take this album and Pet Shop Boys Discography, you don't need any other pop music in your life. I love the fact Pop!  was subtitled The First 20 Hits as all that does is say "yeah we've got these 20 songs, they're all brilliant and we've only just started." To get a sense of exactly what Erasure achieved in their first 7 years, listen to this album in full and prepare to be blown away. The band's contribution is British music is, I think, hugely undervalued and criminally so. Erasure are simply one of the most important bands this country has produced and Pop! The First 20 Hits is all the evidence in support of that fact that you will need.



28. Andy Bell
Extravagant, blessed with a voice almost unmatched in music, an incredible stage presence, a prominent openly gay artist in a time which was a hugely important thing in a time when that wasn't necessarily the done thing in mainstream pop and much, much more. Andy is a gem and still manages to impress after all these years, with obvious joy every time he steps on stage. Fronting a duo is difficult when the other half hides behind banks of synths but Andy Bell makes it look effortless. He should be revered by everyone.

29. Vince Clarke

Vince is one of my heroes. He's a man who has managed to be in three of my favourite bands which alone is quite some feat. Depeche Mode causing too much pressure? Ok, jack that in and form Yazoo for a quiet life. Hmm that didn't work, Start a band with a singer no-one knows? Ah.Cue thirty years worth of incredible music. Vince simply cannot stop writing hits, no matter how hard he tries. He's easily one of the most influential figures in electronic music history and the thrilling thing is, he's getting more productive each year. The more Vince the better I say. One of my ambitions is to visit his studio in New York just to bask in the glory of his huge analogue synth collection. And to shake his hand and say thanks too of course.

30. Thank you Erasure

Here's to another 30 years.

REED & CAROLINE - BUCHLA AND SINGING

Reed & Caroline are a new signing to Vince Clarke's Very Records and they have just released their debut album, Buchla And Singing. As befits a release on Vince's own label, the music on the album is made on a Buchla modular synth alone. The Buchla was one of the first modular synths, with Don Buchla beating the perhaps more celebrated Robert Moog to the punch by a few years back in the 1960's. Sadly, Don Buchla recently passed away, but his wonderful, hugely influential invention lives on in this album and it's a fine tribute to him. Reed Hays' mastery of the Buchla is hugely impressive and it even outdoes his own label boss. When asked about the Buchla system, Vince said "I had one once but I sold it. It's way too difficult to use."  Now, if Vince can't master it, it must be tough.

Anyway, to the music. As I mentioned above, Reed Hays is in charge of the Buchla and the vocals are provided by Caroline Schultz, with both working perfectly together. The album opener Singularity (We Bond) shows off the pair's skills perfectly - it's as glorious a slice of synthpop as you'll hear in a long time. Caroline's vocal style brings to mind the likes of Jen Wood's vocals on The Postal Service's Nothing Better and they really are central to the album's success.

REED & CAROLINE - Singularity (We Bond) [Official Video] from VeryRecords on Vimeo.

Electrons is another standout track, its futurist lyrics and crisp electropop having a distinct air of, for example, Kraftwerk's Radioactivity album albeit with a far glossier pop sheen. The track also features in remixed form as a bonus on the cd with Vince Clarke offering his own take on the song. It's a sparser affair, slightly reminiscent of his superb Behind The Wheel remix for the last Depeche Mode project and it's well worth checking out. 

There are more experimental moments as you might expect given the machine that is producing the music here. Oh My Dog and Nightmarf for example, show off the Buchla's collection of impressive noises to impressive effect. Henry The Worm perhaps pushes the experimentation too far, with its twee lyrics not really hitting the spot, but that aside, there aren't really any missteps here.

The fact that Reed & Caroline have managed to make such an interesting and enjoyable album using only an ancient and difficult to master modular synth system says much about their ability. Whilst the album title is literally correct, neither the Buchla nor the singing overshadow each other. Both come together in perfect harmony, producing excellent results.

Reed & Caroline's Buchla and Singing is available now on cd and download from Very Records and through all the usual digital music purveyors.

Very Records Shop - https://veryrecords.com/shop/

Reed & Caroline Facebook https://www.facebook.com/reedandcaroline/?fref=ts

AVEC SANS - HEARTBREAK HI

Avec Sans are an electropop duo comprising Alice Fox and Jack St. James and their new album Heartbreak Hi is as fresh a burst of synthpop goodness as you could possibly want. Like Priest with their self titled debut last year, Avec Sans have produced a wonderful, at times quite thrilling album that fans of electronic pop are bound to love.

Opener Even The Echoes sets the tone, mesmerising and enchanting, with Alice's vocals the focal point among swirling synths and vocal samples that bring to mind the likes of Gold Panda's You. The most recent single Heartbreak Hi follows and it's a cracking track. I was first alerted to this by Podcast, one of Glasgow's, if not the internet's, best music blogs and I've loved it since then. With a chorus that's as fine as you'll hear and music that's as good an example of clean, icy synthpop as you'd like, Heartbreak Hi is a track that deserves to be heard by everyone. 

The album is filled with electronic pop gems thought. Shiver is like a poppy Chvrches and We Are resembles Erasure's peak pop era rom The Innocents to Chorus. It's also an example of Alice's superb vocal range. To carry off songs that are this synthpop focussed you need to be able to sing them well and, throughout this album, the vocals never fail to grab your attention. 

There are moments on this album that you can't help fall in love with. Hold On, The Answer, All Of Time and Close My Eyes are all textbook electropop gems and each one is incredibly impressive. Close My Eyes has one of those choruses that, once you hear it, it will be a long, long time until you stop singing it.

All in all, Heartbreak Hi is an album that is going to appeal to all fans of electropop, synthpop, or, if you want to forget those labels, great pop music generally. My only criticism is that it's perhaps a track or two too long. Had this been trimmed down a little, it would be hard to argue with it being considered one of the best albums of the year thus far. Even as it stands though, Heartbreak Hi, is something special and it's certainly one to check out.

Heartbreak Hi by Avec Sans is available now through the band's Pledge Music site (http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/avec-sans). They are currently touring supporting Ladyhawke and then go on the road themselves. Check their site and Facebook page for details

Avec Sans http://avecsans.com/#home

Avec Sans Facebook https://www.facebook.com/avecsansband/

ERASURE - ALWAYS: THE VERY BEST OF ERASURE

Erasure are 30 years old this year and to celebrate that the band have released a new Best of compilation called Always - The Very Best Of Erasure. Available through Mute, the album is available digitally and on single cd and 3 cd formats. If you're a fan of British pop music then most, if not all, of the songs on the standard release will be familiar to you and will immediately bring a smile to your face. I've been a fan of the band since The Circus and listening to the main cd over the last couple of days has been a joy. It is simply impossible to find fault with the likes of Oh L'Amour, Ship Of Fool, Blue Savannah, yet even songs that good cower in the shadows of A Little Respect, Drama!, Chorus and Love To Hate You which are simply four of the greatest songs ever recorded. Like many other songs I love, A Little Respect thrills me every time I hear it and that will never change. One pleasing aspect of this collection is the inclusion of latter day classics Breathe and Elevation, both of which shows that Erasure can still more than cut it when it comes to electronic pop.

If, for some inexplicable reason you haven't heard it, you need to change that and, if you don't know anything about Erasure, then you need to get the standard cd version of Always - The Very Best Of Erasure as it's as good an introduction to the band as you could get.

Enough of the standard version however as the deluxe 3cd version is far too intriguing a prospect to ignore. Over the additional two cds you'll find 23 remixes, some of them landmark classics and some of them brand new. Of the brand new mixes, two stand out. The Circus (Eternal Eraser Mix by Grumbling Fur) takes the original work theme of the original (the closest Erasure ever came to Industrial - think Depeche Mode's Construction Time Again without the metal) and turns it into a tense, rhythmic track which works splendidly. The second new mix to look out for is Chains Of Love (Vince Clarke Remix) in which Vince turns the original into a dancefloor friendly, electro remix that is quite marvelous. It's similar to the live version from The Violet Flame tour and also has echoes of Vince's outstanding Behind The Wheel remix for the last Depeche Mode remix project. 

ERASURE - The Circus (Grumbling Fur Eternal Eraser Mix) from erasureinfo on Vimeo.

It's likely that most Erasure fans will be familiar with the older remixes that feature here. The likes of Drama! (Krucial Mix), Chorus (Vegan Mix) and You Surround Me (Mark Saunders Remix) are all worth hearing again and again and it's a real treat to be reminded of classics like this. Like the songs on the main cd, hearing these remixes transports me back years and I can remember hearing for the first time. The remix of Chorus for example featured originally on the limited edition 12" and cd single for Am I Right? and I still recall seeing an advert for that in Melody Maker on a Saturday morning in Castle Douglas and going straight into Barnstorm in Dumfries to pick up the 12". 

Ultimately, Erasure have been with most of us for so long that the vast majority of this album will be familiar and will stir many memories. Some people may have lost touch with them over the years and some people might never have heard them. As a way of reacquainting or introducing yourself to one of the most important bands Britain has produced, Always - The Very Best Of Erasure is a great place to start.

Always - The Very Best Of Erasure is out now and is available through Mute Records on 1 cd, deluxe 3 cd and download

Erasure Official http://www.erasureinfo.com/

ERASURE - 30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

If you like pop music, you should like Erasure. Vince Clarke and Andy Bell have been responsible for some of the greatest British pop music ever released with tracks like A Little Respect, Love To Hate You and Blue Savannah known to anyone who has listened to music since the late 1980's . This year the band are celebrating their 30th anniversary which, for someone who grew up loving them at high school, makes me feel very old indeed.

Anniversary celebrations are becoming more and more prevalent and whilst some seem a tad unnecessary, Erasure's celebration is more than warranted. To kick it off, the band are releasing Sometimes (2015)  on 23 October. It's a brand new remix by David Wrench and, as you can hear below, it's a superb take on Erasure's breakthrough single. Instead of mucking around with the song, Wrench has made a few subtle tweaks and beefed it up where it needs beefed up. Impressive stuff indeed.

The single is followed by a new best of collection, Always - The Very Best Of Erasure on 30 October. You might wonder whether another best of is needed as we've thus far had Pop! The First 20 Hits (which along with Pet Shop Boys' Discography is the definitive British pop singles album), Hits! The Very Best Of Erasure, Total Pop! The First 40 Hits, Pop 2! The Second 20 Hits and Essential. The alcum will be released on CD, download and deluxe 3cd/download and it's the latter that really grabs your attention. Yes, the single cd version contains what is basically the manual on how to write classic pop, but I'd be surprised if any Erasure fans didn't have all its songs in many different formats already. The two additional cd will be what the band's fans really want to get their hands on as they contain a number of classic and originally released only on limited edition 12" and cd single remixes, together with four brand new mixes. The tracklisting for the album is:

CD1: Who Needs Love Like That/Oh L'Amour/Sometimes/Victim Of Love/The Circus/Ship Of Fools/Chains Of Love/A Little Respect/Stop!/Drama!/Blue Savannah/Chorus/Love To Hate You/Take A Chance On Me/Always/Fingers & Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day)/Breathe/Be With You/Elevation/Sometimes (2015)

CD2: Who Needs Love Like That (Mexican Mix)/Oh L'Amour (PWL Funky Sisters Say "Ooh La La")/The Circus (Eternal Eraser Mix)/A Little Respect (Big Train Remix)/Stop! (Vince Clarke Sync 82 Remix)/Blue Savannah (Der Deutsche Mix II)/ Chorus (Vegan Mix)/Love To Hate You (LFO Modulated Filter Mix)/ Always (Microbots Inside Your Brain remix)/ Fingers & Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day) (Tin Tin Out Remix)/ Breathe (GRN Remix)/ Elevation (BT Remix)

CD3: Victim Of Love (Vixen Vitesse Remix)/ Chains Of Love (Vince Clarke Remix)/ Drama! (Krucial Remix)/ You Surround Me (Mark Saunders Remix)/ Star (Interstella Mix)/ Am I Right (The Grid Remix)/ Run To The Sun (Beatmasters' Galactic Remix)/ In My Arms (BBE Remix)/ Freedom (Mark Pichiotti Strumapella Remix)/ Be With You (Starshapes Remix)/ Sometimes (Erasure & Flood Mix)

There are so many classic Erasure remixes on there that you really should check out if you haven't already heard them. The likes of Drama! (Krucial Remix), Chorus (Vegan Mix) and A Little Respect (Big Train Remix) hark back to a time when remixes were proper remixes rather than just generic club nonsense. I'd highly recommend the 3CD verison of this release.

The band aren't stopping there either. 2016 will see a deluxe super box set reissue of the band's 1985 debut album Wonderland which will come stuffed to the gills with all manner of good things. A 180g vinyl reissue campaign of the band's first three albums, Wonderland, The Circus and The Innocents will kick off in February 2016 too. Here's hoping the reissues continue with a reissue of Chorus, which for me is the band's best work and one of the definitive electronic pop albums.

Until then however, dig into the new Best Of and start celebrating Erasure. They are one of the most important British pop acts of all time and equally one of the most important electronic acts of all time. It's time to fall in love with them again.

Sometimes (2015) is released on 23 October 2015 and Always - The Very Best Of Erasure on 30 October 2015 both on the home of great music Mute Records.

PRIEST - PRIEST

Priest are Madelaine Priest and David Kazyk, a synthpop duo from Orlando who have just released their self titled debut album. Mixing influences from the present such as Chvrches or Warpaint with classic synthpop influences like Erasure, The Cure in their Japanese Whispers period and, yes I spotted it, Depeche Mode, Priest have produced a really rather lovely album that I'd put very much in the highly recommended category.

Here's the thing: everyone loves pop music. Unless the first song you heard was by Black Flag or Einzturzende Neubauten, you grew up loving pop music and, while you might have drifted away from it, there's still a place in your heart for it. This album immediately finds that place and repeatedly tickles you with top notch synthpop from the start to the end. Opener The Game is a prime example of Priest's talents. A beautifully melodic slice of synthpop joy, The Game is one of those songs that you hear and immediately feel like you've known it for years. It's followed by the harder sounding Heartbeats, a song that's more beats dominated than The Game but has an equally strong and, frankly, magnificent chorus that holds the song together perfectly. A very strong start is then continued by White Nights which has much more of a dream pop/indie pop feel than the preceding two tracks but all three amount to a hugely strong start to the album. Staring At The Walls is next, a sparser, more mournful track before another of the album's standouts Broken arrives, mixing a distinct 80's influence with a superb vocal and a chorus that is just about the most perfect chorus of all time. Once you reach this point in the album, you'll be hooked - trust me on that

Strong Hearts has the tricky task of following broken and decides to go full on POP with a the sort of synthpop track Erasure would be proud of. It's a bright, bubbly thing and instantly catchy. The pace slows with When The Strings Are Cut, a slower track bathed in icy electronics which leads to Day Drinking, another effortlessly excellent track. The penultimate track on the album Waiting For The End To Come is a celebration of classic film soundtracks, classic synthpop and all things 80's but in a very good way indeed. Like The Game, you hear it and instantly think you know it. I know it's boring and repetitive, but I have to again point out the chorus here - it's undeniably brilliant. Go and seek this track out and hear for yourself. We end on Lying on Your Grave, a soft, slower closer that rounds the album off nicely.

There are many highpoints on this this album and some tracks that are among the best electronic pop tracks I've heard in a good while, but most importantly, Priest  works as a whole album rather than a collection of songs punctuated with two or three outstanding tracks. It's a wonderful, superb synthpop filled album that I'm going to be playing a lot from start to finish and once you hear it, you'll do that too

Priest's self titled debut is available now on Itunes, Amazon and other digital retailers. A cd is available from the band's online store

Priest http://priestofficial.com/

Priest Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/xpriestx

Priest Facebook

NEW ERASURE SINGLE - SACRED

Erasure round off their highly successful campaign for The Violet Flame (review here) with the release of Sacred on 16 March on Mute Records. Sacred, one of the highlights of both the album and the tour that accompanied it, will be available on CD (CDMUTE532) and download (iMUTE532) and comes with a whole host of remixes. The tracklisting is:

1. Sacred - Single Mix

2. Sacred - Chris Cox Remix

4. Sacred - Vibora Park Remix

4. Sacred - Black Light Odyssey Remix

5. Sacred - Rich B & Phil Marriot Remix

6. Sacred - Chris Cox DUB

7. Sacred - 88Ninety's Stellar Mix8 Vox Remix

8. Sacred - Blend Remix Competition Winner

9. Sacred - Live Rehearsal Version

Straightaway, the Black Light Odyssey Remix jumps out as their previous remix work for Depeche Mode (especially the gorgeous remix of The Sun & The Rainfall for the Remixes 81-11 campaign) has always been first class. Track 8 will be interesting too as it will be a remix by a fan following a recent competition the band ran. The winner and therefore the identity of the remixer, will be revealed in February.

Happily for collectors like me, this cd will fit into the slipcase issued with the Reason single to finish off the boxset for this album. Add that to my The Violet Flame deluxe boxset and the coloured vinyl album and you've got a rather smashing set of items. The whole The Violet Flame campaign has been great from beginning to end and the two gigs I saw in Edinburgh and Glasgow were outstanding. Let's hope it's not too long before Vince and Andy are back. 

Pre-order the single here http://www.erasurethevioletflame.com

Listen to the Chris Cox remix here https://soundcloud.com/erasureinfo/erasure-sacred-chris-cox-remix

ERASURE - THE VIOLET FLAME

ERASURE – THE VIOLET FLAME

For most people of my age (39 plus 15 months), Erasure hold a special place in their childhood hearts. Along with the Pet Shop Boys, Erasure dominated the charts in the late 80’s and into the early 90’s with hit after hit, and each one was a pop gem from A Little Respect to Love To Hate You. The band took more of a back seat in the 90’s by not touring I Say I Say I Say or the outstanding Erasure and then, occasional singles aside, tailed off a bit through Cowboy, Loveboat and later albums. Whilst the odd gem would appear (Don’t Say Your Love Is Killing Me, In My Arms, Breathe, No Doubt), the band’s output did dip in quality although their live shows continued to get stronger and stronger making them a must see live band.

Last year’s Christmas album Snowglobe was a fine album and did point to the band regaining some form. Like The Violet Flame, it was produced by Richard X and his production really seems to sit well with Erasure. The music was less cluttered than say on Tomorrow’s World and Andy’s lyrics more to the point than on previous ventures. Happily, that has carried on with The Violet Flame and with this album, Erasure have re-announced themselves and rediscovered their mojo.

Album opener, Dead of Night, isn't a Depeche Mode cover, but instead is a great opening track which sounds fresher than Erasure have in many a year and straightaway gets the pulse racing. In the main, The Violet Flame is an album that has one eye on the dancefloor, in the same way that Pet Shop Boy’s Electric did. Unlike, PSB however, Erasure don’t feel the need to try and make a full on club style album; instead they rightly play to their strengths (and what strengths) and never lose sight of what made them the brilliant band they are in the first place – pop music. Dead of Night is a great pop song and a great opener.

First single Elevation is up next and if you've heard it already you’ll know how good it is. The first single back of any Erasure campaign is always an exciting prospect given that it has meant the likes of Chorus, Always or the still beautiful Breathe in the last few years. Elevation goes back to Chorus days in that it’s fast, bleepy and, frankly, really, really good. It’s also hugely catchy so don’t expect to listen to it once then forget it. You won’t be able to.

Reason and Promises follow next, with the former being a stronger song than the latter. Reason is another track that harks back to classic era Erasure but still keeps the sound modern. Vince stands out here with some fantastic noises but the addition of a piano line over the main synth parts makes the song stronger and overall it’s a great track. Promises shows off my theory about the music having more room to breathe than on previous albums. It is a little Euro trancey in places for my tastes but in the context of the album it works. That is very much a good thing by the way. Since Erasure last went thematic on an album (Vince’s concept masterpiece Erasure) their albums have sometimes seemed to be 3 or 4 singles and a few other tracks added in. The Violet Flame has a focus throughout and that is to be welcomed.

Be The One slows the pace down and comes over like those weirder tracks Erasure used to stick on albums like Yahoo, Love The Way You do So or even The Circus which let’s face it was never the most obvious choice for a single but was brilliant. I get a feeling of experimentation on this track which kicks of with a single synth noise that I am sure is meant to put you in mind of Sometimes. It’s a ballad of sorts and has one of those melodies that Vince and Andy excel at. Sacred follows and, again, isn’t a Depeche Mode cover although when you think about it, that would be an excellent choice of Depeche song for Erasure to cover, if you’ll forgive the aside. The song starts off along the lines of Rock Me Gently or Sono Luminus but then wanders through the doors of a club and hits the dancefloor which, I am pleased to say, really works.

Under The Wave appears at track 7 and begins almost like a Vince home demo. The track beeps and bleeps in all the right places and is immediately redolent of the band’s Chorus era highpoint. It certainly has a classic Erasure feel to it. Smoke and Mirrors comes next and here we see the influence of Vince’s side project with Martin Gore, VCMG. It’s a fascinating track. Musically it’s a lot darker than most of the rest of the album and, like Be The One, it’s one of those slightly odder Erasure tracks that I personally love. At first, it feels like the song never changes gear or goes anywhere particularly, but on the next listen you’re hooked.

The album’s penultimate track is Paradise. I’ve joked about Depeche covers above but could this be Erasure covering themselves by rebooting Drama’s lost classic b-side? No, that’s not the case but this isn’t a bad song at all. For me , this one shows Richard X’s involvement most obviously and whilst that’s ok, I prefer it if I can only hear Vince and Andy.

The album ends with the lovely Stayed A Little Late Though, a forlorn look back at the end of a relationship (“I just wanted everything top be perfect”) and it’s the perfect song to end the album.

So, is The Violet Flame worth getting excited about? Yes it is. After a few recent false starts, Erasure have relaxed and got back to doing what they do best – pop music. Perhaps the duo’s recent side projects have allowed them to refocus and even re-energised them and if that is the case, then well done Erasure. Simply put, this is Erasure’s finest album since Chorus. Bring on the tour!