Erasure have had some cracking singles in the past, but does this new album have anything remotely comparable its past successes. Let's find out...
I have little to say about the lyrics for the first song, Love You to the Sky (just as much as Andy Bell has to say), but it has a decent beat and there are some generally unobtrusive synths that take part in the tune. It's just a shame that it is so formulaic. It's more annoying than listenable, and that's the best I can say about it. The second track takes it a bit slower with a more anthem-like tempo. The singing is much better, and the lyrics have more serious meaning. As I listen, in fact it's quite an amiable track that could grow on me, mixing some ambient pop and psychedelic vocals - it's almost dreamy. The title track definitely has more substance, giving me hope for the rest of the album. Unfortunately, it's let down by an unchanging rhythm - even though Bell tries his best to hold everything together with his sobering voice. It can't quite escape its circular beat, and never tries to shake up the format. A Bitter Parting delves into something a little different, relying more on a heavy drum beat to carry the song and a more African-style tempo. It has great potential, but once more it can't quite regenerate its sound to give the listener more variety. After a mixture of quality in the first four tracks, Still It's No Over promises something original. It builds well to a heart-warming crescendo and is complimented by some interesting electronic sounds - the lyrics are also commendable. Andy Bell doesn't let down the vocals either - it's the best song so far on the album. Track number six returns to a slow beat, but it fails to start the second half of the album well - more confused and over-complex. Sweet Summer Loving has all the hallmarks of a catchy dance pop track, controlled by some strong, high-pitched synths. Far more innovative than the rest of the album, but the lyrics disappoint again - too cheesy and obvious. Towards the end of the album, Oh What A World gathers a darker feeling, propelled by some hard chanting and a choral background. Inventive, yes, but perhaps the most appealing track in Erasure's bank - may be held back by being too robotic and unexciting. Lousy Sum of Nothing has a more uplifting message, but as the penultimate track, it doesn't have the impact or power to attract more listeners. I won't criticise the great synths that come and go in the background. Finally, Just a Little Love has a far more nostalgic element, even from reading the title. It's just a shame that it sounds too much like something from the 80s - it's not new and revolutionary enough. A disappointing ending to a relatively sub-par album from Erasure. 4.5/10
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I've decided to broaden my horizons with music. This album seems a bit far-fetched for my tastes, but there's something mesmerising about electronic pop when it's played well. This French group appear to have all the right ideas and enough imagination to conceive an attractive piece of music. The question is, wether the entire album has enough of an impact to keep me invested in their work.
The first track, Abysse, promises some eccentric rhythms and tunes. It's a nice introduction the album, offering up some soft synths with an almost medieval-styled tone. The constant rising and falling of the notes allows the listener to be lulled into a dream-state, and that's exactly what you want from this type of music. Aqualand turns on dance-mode. Far more in your face and with serious attitude, it's equally appealing. The shuffling of different electronic instruments might usually be a challenge, but they make it sound easy with this one. Even by its third track, the artist hasn't stopped adapting its genre, this time adding a quiet guitar riff to the mix, giving it that more realistic flavour, instead of relying too much on the electronic sounds. Unfortunately, towards the centre of the track, instead of continuing to develop the tune, they have opted to fall back on the lazy electronic manipulator that turns it too much into a formulaic dance floor song. In the end, it doesn't really get out of the repetitive cycle, which is a real shame. Coeur cruise is another eccentric listen, that provides a nice, catchy melody. Zoom Zoom is less appealing though and quickly stumbles into a messy furore of electronic madness that is really hard to get out of your head. For those who enjoy this type of bass-invasion will probably enjoy it, but with an unchanging tune, its hard not to be put off. Following on from this, Nana is definitely the most annoying of the album, offering some chaotic synths that have caused me to lost concentration, much less dream. Now, Kirghiz is a good track, with some heavy beats that are simple to dance to, but the song is quickly ruined by some high pitch synths that never shut up - they sound like an endless car alarm - how hard is it to keep to simplicity? Dorothy doesn't offer up anything original either and follows the same pattern as the others, sticking to the maddening electronic spirals. Plage Isolee, which is actually a track that has already been released by the artist, is genuinely great for dancing - it has an almost African rhythm, reminding me a bit of Paul Simon's Graceland. Despite the progressively complicated arrangements the artist has concocted for Mexicali, it doesn't quite escape the fact that it's still taking notes from previous tracks, making me feel like I'm listening to the same tracks again. But, in their final two tracks, Polo & Pan have struck gold, with some genuinely emotional synths that actually give you something to look forward to as you go through the album. Pays imaginaire especially has a psychedelic feel, owing to the angelic voices provided by the vocals. The slow beat might take away the dance, but it will hopefully have a different effect on your emotions. Rather more melancholy than exciting. A completely different side to the music spectrum that touches on aspects of dance, house, shoegaze and electronic pop, the album promises a lot of great music, but it often fails due to lack of originality or lazy musical arrangements. If you really like electronic pop though, this is definitely an album for you, and the first track and last two tracks do stand out as decent compositions that are letdown by the fact that they're sitting amongst less inventive content. 6.5/10 |
AuthorA very passionate Welsh nerd... Archives
October 2017
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