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Whether or not you are a fan of Erasure's long and storied
career, the new record Nightbird is indisputably one of
the finest pure pop masterpieces in what seems like decades. The
last few outings from the band have been letdowns for those who
patiently waited for a real taste of fresh new music from the
magical mind of Vince Clarke. Finally! No cover songs,
no collections of uninspired remixes, no dreary and odd moodiness;
Nightbird is pure classic beautiful Erasure heaven.
Gone are the slightly askew attitudes of the eponymous record,
the odd Abba affectations, the seeming lack of emotional
involvement in his music… Instead we are given eleven songs
of that pure joy that can only come from the FM synthesis of Clarke.
The songs float lithely through the ether, tripping through fields
of sonic loveliness. Andy Bell's voice is clearer and more
mature than ever before. No longer sounding like the recurrent
shadow of Alison Moyet, Bell has developed his vocal instrument
to depths of tone and emotion that were only hinted at previously.
Just when the thought had crossed so many minds that there was
to be no more musical growth from the Erasure camp, we have suddenly
been graced with possibly the finest album that the artful duo
has ever recorded.
Nightbird is a very mature and well-balanced selection
of songs, ranging from the light and airy "Breathe",
with it's intricate background vocals and washes of analog sounds,
to the dancey and upbeat "I'll Be There" - complete
with early 90's techno sounds. The poetry of "Here I Go Impossible
Again" sets apart the lyrical content on Nightbird
from so much of the past few years of Erasure's works. "Because
Our Love Is Real" is a perfect love song, with bouncing keyboards
layered with thick vocals and precisely light drumbeats. Emotion
is what truly sets this album apart. Real, inspired, emotion.
Whether or not we are poised for an 80's revival in pop music
doesn't seem to matter to Vince And Andy. What does seem to
matter is that they finally have something new and fresh to
say. And we are eagerly listening.
-Embo Blake
Track Listing:
1. No Doubt
2. Here I Go Impossible Again
3. Let's Take One More Rocket
4. Breathe
5. I'll Be There
6. Because Our Love Is Real
7. Don't Say You Love Me
8. All This Time Still Falling Out Of Love
9. I Broke It All In Two
10. Sweet Surrender
11. I Bet You're Mad At Me
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