Erasure – Erasure

Ahh, Erasure. I love it when bands step out on a limb and try something different. Erasure did this with their 1995 self titled release. Lush, dreamy, long love songs. I adore long songs. So much music is confined to that boring 3 1/2 minute song formula and doesn't give the song the chance to breathe. Don't get me wrong, I love Erasure's shorter poppy songs as well, but this album was a well received experiment for my ears. Oh, and the B-Sides and remixes on the second CD are a nice addition as well. Looking forward to a deluxe edition treatment of Loveboat.

This album and "Chorus" are my two favorite releases by Erasure. The new expanded booklet is great, although the lyrics are a bit hard to read on this edition. Very interesting liner notes and pictures. Nice quality hard-cover mediabook, although rather prone to scratching the discs after a while, if you're not too careful. Soundwise, however, I prefer the original CD from the 1990s. This new one was mastered louder with a bit of distortion, smashing the original dynamics. Disc 2 is interesting, but not essential. This remaster is not too bad, but the original does sound better to my ears.

While this is clearly missing a DVD of the Tiny Tour concert that occurred after this release, the two audio discs and repackaging with liner notes are a fan must. This album still amazes on headphones! Love the new "Angel" remix!