Just Can't Get Enough... ERASURE!

I'm gonna talk about Erasure now and you're gonna sit there and take it. i'm a newer fan of the band as i lived under a rock most of my life and was never exposed to them until i met my good friend, Chris.

More to the point, it was this picture of him. My favorite. He's just standing there looking pretty with an Erasure shirt on. actually here's the pic and it even comes with comment by me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robotrock/81125462/in/set-1618232/

Anyhoo, this pic somehow sparked my mind into action. must. listen. to. ERASURE.

I bought POP, a greatest hits album. If that CD were a tape, i think it'd be broken by now, but my ipod handles it just fine. I then bought the other greatest hits album, HITS. just a few other songs on it but enough to make me happy. but now... now i'm ready to move on... i'm ready to buy albums and i'm starting with The Innocents. Chris says it's being re-issued so i'm going to wait for that.

Anyhoozle. The reason i brought this whole thing up is b/c i listen to Erasure a lot on my way to work in the morning. it gets me happy. it makes me dance. it makes me sing. all those things, i should not have to tell you, equal the beginning of a good day at work. So this morning i got in my car and apparently i had been listening to Erasure the night before. Victim of Love was on and suddenly it hit me that i need to listen to it louder and louder, over and over. In this song, i suddenly heard why i love Erasure so much... and that's Vince Clarke. it's very clear that this man can manipulate synth like no other. I'm no musician and i'm not a music expert so when i explain what i mean, it's in my terms... so please keep that close in your mind.

Here.... Have a listen:

http://www.mtv.com/videos/erasure/58522/victim-of-love.jhtml

It's the back beat that gets me. You hear the guitar, you hear the higher/prominent notes of the synth and of course Andy Bell's unique voice. You hear all of those first. But there's this back beat that's makes this song truly amazing. it could stand alone as a song in itself. add a monotone gothy voice singing about wanting a girl on the dance floor and you've got yourself a She Want Revenge song. add a European singer with lyrics pertaining to robots having feelings and you've got Heartbreak. Add a sensual voice singing about what he must do to make her submit and you've got... well you've got Depeche Mode which... just isn't too far from the Erasure tree now, its it.

But Vince does something else. He makes a perfect pop song with this dark back beat. He adds those elements that make it happier and dancey. He lets this song be something other than what it simply could be. He builds layer upon layer of more synth and adds the simplest acoustic guitar to make this song absolutely loveable.

That is why i love Erasure and the genius of Vince Clarke.

must. listen. to. MORE. Erasure.