Erasure

Nightbird (Mute)
by Wa

The songs of Nightbird are lush lullabies formed by synth lines and drum machines that reveal the passionate, rejected, needy, and devoted forms of love.

Their first album in seven years, Erasure have never been the critic’s darling that their contemporaries – Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode – are. Even after selling over 25 million records, they’re still largely a fixture of the American synth-pop underground.

Despite all the bad mojo over the years, Vince Clarke and Andy Bell haven’t shied away from their forte: Writing songs that explore the depth and nature of love. Their songs are, more often than not, modern hymns about the struggles of love, an exploration that never seems to lead to self-destruction, but rather retains a sense of hopeful optimism even when a relationship is in the midst of dissolving, as we hear in the beautifully haunting “I Bet You’re Mad at Me.”

If you’re an unashamed fan of ’80s synth pop, you’ll love this classic Erasure sound. If you were expecting Erasure to make a dramatic turn from their past efforts, this is not the record for you. Highlights include “I Bet You’re Mad at Me,” “No Doubt,” and “Here I Go Impossible Again.”
(www.mute.com)