Search - Erasure :: Loveboat

Weird, but good

GarionOrb | Houston, Texas United States | 02/05/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This album is quite a departure from previous Erasure albums. The songs are a bit more abstract (even more so than their self-titled Erasure album). Several songs seem to hint at a more acoustic sound, although the familiar electronic elements come in here and there. Upon first listen, it's easy to see why this album never really took off. It actually takes effort to listen and truly hear the musical arrangements. However, with that effort, you will hear a very well-written collection of songs.



My rating of three stars SHOULD have been four, but I had to take one away for the TERRIBLE mixing and cleanup of the sound. The album sounds like an old cassette tape. The bass is abnormally strong and messy, and some of the more important highs are drowned away. It's really a shame, because the record has huge potential to be one of Erasure's best.



Highlight tracks include the infectuous "Freedom", the melancholy "Alien", and the beautiful acoustic "Love Is The Rage", which is probably one of the best Erasure tracks I've ever heard.



I'd recommend this record for fans only. If you're unfamiliar with Erasure, check out The Best of, Chorus, I Say I Say I Say, Nightbird or The Innocents."

One of Erasure's very best

DAJ | New York, NY | 02/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I know that I'm going against the grain in choosing this as one of the group's best--but I truly believe that it ranks with "Chorus" and "I Say, I Say, I Say." Others have docked this one points for its mixing, but on a good sound system it sounds just fine. People are not accustomed to the heavy bass and downplayed vocals, but the material here is well suited to this approach. The album was produced by Flood, who produced the first two Erasure albums with sparkling clarity, and who has produced many of the biggest names out there, including Depeche Mode and U2. The album sounds the way it was meant to.



Perhaps another reason for the lack of enthusiasm is that, other than "Freedom," there are no real Hi-NRG numbers, which were once the bread and butter of the group. It is a much more peaceful, pensive, and even melancholy record. I love nearly everything here, from the devastating "Mad As We Are," to the lovely "Alien," from the techno-blast of "Moon and the Sky" to the wistful romanticism of "Here in my Heart."



For me, this is the best Erasure album since "Erasure," far superior to "Cowboy" and "Other People's Songs," and more complex and interesting than "Nightbird.""