Erasure - Fill Us With Fire

Just like its predecessor Be With You, Fill Us With Fire is classic Erasure - everything that makes their emotion-suffused brand of synth-pop so enchanting. So while Germany get disco romp A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot, the UK is set to receive the more reflective refrains of this lovely little number as the next single from the duo's album.

While less representative of the Frankmusik production of its parent album, Fill Us With Fire's strength is its contentedness to do what all the best Erasure tracks do - resting on an incredibly deft command of melody and an impassioned Andy Bell vocal. It makes you want to go back an relive their tour all over again - to lose yourself in the 'Erasure world' that keeps us coming back for more delicacies like this.

Fill Us With Fire is released on the 12th March.

Erasure - A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot

When I first listened to Erasure's Tomorrow's World album, A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot was the track that instantly stood out, a full-on dance banger as glamtastic as any of their past greats. It also felt like the song most thoroughly representative of the working relationship between the duo and Frankmusik - a glossy, intensely modern take on Erasure's synth-pop, remodelling them into a heavily produced, more digital-sounding outfit.

For me, part of Erasure's enduring appeal has been the slightly rubbery nature of their largely analogue tracks, but as a standalone piece, A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot and its parent album by extension represent an exciting, contemporary evolution of Erasure. A sort of Transformers 3D switch-up for them then. And here, the formula undoubtedly works - A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot is everything you want from an up-tempo Erasure club-stormer. Friday nights out on the town pumped through the synth-pop machine; letting loose in careless abandon of love and, well... love.

Vince Clarke and Martin Gore team up as VCMG for 'Spock' EP

These days, Vince Clark is the keyboard whizz in Erasure and Martin Gore is the multi-talented wonder-kid of Depeche Mode, but back in the early 80s (on the band's magnificent synth-pop masterpiece Speak & Spell) the two worked together as founding members of the latter group.

Exciting news then as we hear the two are teaming up under the name of VCMG (short and simple, we like) to release their debut EP entitled Spock. We're wondering if it has anything to do with Star Trek...

The EP features the title track and remixes by Regis, DSV1 and Edit-Select. What can we expect? The chunky happy-go-lucky vibes of Erasure or the sinister gloom-pop of Depeche Mode? Rumours suggest it will instead be influenced by the more clinical sounds of modern dance music.

The Spock EP is available to download from iTunes on the 12th December.

Erasure to release Tomorrow's World Live CD

I went to see Erasure live at the Reading Hexagon last week and as you'd expect, the show was full of all the synth-pop goodies and delightful, theatrical staging you'd expect from the duo.

Want to relive the live experience all over again? Well, you're in luck, Erasure are releasing a CD of the London Roundhouse show with the following tracklisting:

Sono Luminus / Always / When I Start To (Break It All Down) / Blue Savannah / Fill Us With Fire / Breath of Life / Drama / Be With You / Ship of Fools / Chorus / Breathe / Victim of Love / Alien / Love To Hate You / I Lose Myself / A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot / Chains of Love / Sometimes / A Little Respect / Oh L'Amour / Stop

While we're on the topic of Erasure, we're absolutely loving their new single Be With You at the moment, especially the shiny New Order-esque Starshapes remix.

Be With You is released on the 21st November.

Erasure announce Be With You as 2nd Tomorrow's World single

Following up on previous single When I Start to (Break It All Down) and a very respectable chart placing of 29 for their Tomorrow's World album, Erasure have revealed that the second track to be taken from the record will be Be With You.

The single release will be made available on CD and as a download package, including an exclusive new b-side and a number of remixes. Exciting stuff!

And how good does the cover art look - continuing the theme of CGI body parts for this album campaign, there's a massive pair of lungs with a load of colourful dragonflies and birds bursting out of it. An everyday occurrence round our way.

The new Erasure album, Tomorrow's World - Out today!

Who's up for some synthpop goodness to last them through the week? The new Erasure album is out today, and produced by electro whiz Frankmusik, you can expect to be impressed.

We previewed the album last week and can confirm Erasure have delivered once again - after all, flicking through their back catalogue, they've been one of the most consistent acts since their formation in the 80s.

If you're looking for a particular album highlight, Whole Lotta Love Run Riot is a must-download.

A special deluxe version of the album is available to download on iTunes now.

(Preview) Erasure - Tomorrow's World

Courtesy of the lovely people at the Guardian, we're now all able to listen to a stream of Erasure's new album in its entirety! First impressions? It's really very good.

When I heard debut single When I Start To Break It All Down, I was skeptical. It seemed overly bouncy, lacking in the complexity and skill that normally makes Erasure singles such a joy to listen to. It felt cheery and happy, sure, but that classic Erasure dynamism and spark didn't seem quite there.

My fears were allayed immediately on listening to the first few tracks of Tomorrow's World though. Indeed, When I Start seems to stand on it's own, half-way through the album. The other tracks feel far more like what you might expect Erasure would be making at this point in their career - it's brilliantly crafted synth-pop of the highest order.

In many ways, it's a real natural progression from their previous album, Light At The End Of The World, but with a more clinical, precise sheen - that's down to Frankmusik's involvement as producer.

His influence on the album comes to a peak in the sublime A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot - it's the duo's most fanatically up-tempo disco number in ages. Pairing Erasure's experience and passion with Frankmusik's modern sensibilities meets its perfect match here, and what's more, there are a good deal more tracks in this vein on the album too - Then I Go Twisting is another standout.

When it comes to making great pop music, Erasure have rarely disappointed, and Tomorrow's World undoubtedly stands as another accomplished effort in their immense back catalogue. Sonically, it's got everything you'd want from an Erasure album, but most crucially, it has that new edge - the new body-work trim on a flash sportscar - that keeps things interesting.

Tomorrow's World is released on the 3rd October and can be pre-ordered here.

Listen to the album stream HERE.

Erasure cover the Tomorrow's World theme tune

Erasure have come up with some pretty nifty cover versions for b-sides in the past. We've had all sorts from In The Hall of the Mountain King right down to their assortment of amazing takes on ABBA (Voulez-Vous is one of my personal faves).

For the flip side of their latest single, the Erasure boys have turned to classic TV series Tomorrow's World, the inspiration behind the title of their new album.

As to be expected, their cover is full of more electronic bleeps and whizzes than there are sweets in a sweet shop - by the end it sounds as if it's about to go off into Kylie's The One. Basically, it's Well Good.

Erasure's Tomorrow's World album is released on the 3rd October and can be pre-ordered here.

Erasure announce Tomorrow's World album

Don't worry - it's not related to 'that' TV show in any way. But yes, the new Erasure album is called Tomorrow's World and the band announced a selection of rather exciting details regarding the new record on their website today along with a heap of North American tour dates.

The duo's first studio release since 2007's Light At The End Of The World, Tomorrow's World is due out in the Autumn and will be produced by Frankmusik. This instantly makes it amazing. Having remixed the likes of the Pet Shop Boys, Lady Gaga and Ellie Goulding, it's far to say Frankmusik has the seal of approval when it comes to working with the very best in electronic music.

The album was recorded in New York and London with keyboard whiz Vince Clarke adding an authentic touch to the record with his selection of analog synths. This is something I've always been a big fan of - Erasure's sound has always remained unmistakeably 'them' despite changing musical trends around them. There's a dinstinct bounce to Erasure tracks, a tactile responsiveness that comes from that analog quality.

The US tour dates accompanying the album release are as follows:

AUGUST

31 - Tampa, FL. The Ritz Ybor

SEPTEMBER

2 - Orlando, FL. House of Blues / 3 - Atlanta, GA. Center Stage / 4 - Asheville, NC. Orange Peel / 6 & 7 - Washington, DC. 9:30 Club / 8 - Philadelphia, PA. Theatre of Living Arts / 10 - Boston, MA. House of Blues. 11 - Toronto, ON. Sound Academy / 13 & 14 - New York, NY. Terminal 5 / 16 - Chicago, IL. Congress Theatre / 17 - Chicago, IL. Congress Theatre / 18 - Milwaukee, WI. Pabst Theater / 20 - Indianapolis, IN. The Vogue Theatre / 21 - St. Louis, MO. The Pageant / 23 - Austin, TX. ACL Live / 24 - Houston, TX. Verizon Wirless Theatre. 25 - Dallas, TX. House of Blues / 27 - Denver, CO. Ogden Theater / 28 - Salt Lake City, UT. Kingsbury Hall / 30 - Las Vegas, NV. The Palms Concert Theater

OCTOBER

1 - Los Angeles, CA. Hollywood Palladium / 2 - San Diego, CA. House of Blues / 4 - Oakland, CA. Fox Theatre / 5. Portland, OR. Crystal Ballroom / 6 - Seattle, WA. Neptune

Erasure to re-issue 'Wonderland' and 'The Circus' in new deluxe editions

Don't you just love re-issues of your favourite albums? All the goodliness of the original record you fell in love with, but now with a whole heap of extra content. It's like Christmas. Of late, deluxe editions have become increasingly fancy: super-glossy packaging, expanded booklets, bonus DVDs; we've seen it all.

So, for any Erasure fans out there (myself included), the news that the band will be re-issuing their classic 80s albums Wonderland and The Circus is something to get rather excited about. Each album will come as a three-disc set containing the original album, b-sides and remixes on the second disc, and a third disc of video content including Top of the Pops performances. You can even order extra-exclusive version of the re-issues from the band's official store here.

The tracklisting of the two albums is as follows:

Wonderland

CD ONE (original album +) - Who Needs Love Like That / Reunion / Cry So Easy / Push Me Shove Me / Heavenly Action / Say What / Love Is A Loser / Senseless / My Heart… So Blue / Oh L'Amour / Pistol / Say What (Remix) / March On Down The Line (Remix) / Senseless (Remix)

CD TWO (b-sides, mixes and sessions) - Who Needs Love Like That (Mexican Mix) / Push Me Shove Me (Extended As Far As Possible Mix) / Don't Say No (Ruby Red Mix) / Heavenly Action (12" Mix) / March On Down The Line / Oh L'Amour (PWL Funky Sisters Say 'Ooh La La') / Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (Remix) / Cry So Easy (Radio 1 Session: Bruno Brookes, 15/11/85 *) / Who Needs Love Like That (Radio 1 Session: Bruno Brookes, 15/11/85 *) / Senseless (Radio 1 Session, 5/12/85 *) / Heavenly Action (Radio 1 Session, 5/12/85 *) / Say What? (Radio 1 Session, 5/12/85 *) / Push Me Shove Me (Radio 1 Session, 5/12/85 *)

DVD (promo videos and concert footage) - Who Needs Love Like That (promo video) / Heavenly Action (promo video) / Oh L'Amour (promo video) + 'Live at Karlsson, Stockholm' a previously unreleased concert filmed on 8/8/86 and featuring live versions of Pistol / Senseless / Heavenly Action / Reunion / Sometimes / Who Needs Love Like That / Cry So Easy / My Heart…So Blue / March On Down The Line / Say What / Sexuality / Oh L'Amour / Push Me Shove Me / Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (* = previously unreleased)

The Circus

CD ONE (original album +) - It Doesn't Have To Be / Hideaway / Don't Dance / If I Could / Sexuality / Victim Of Love / Leave Me To Bleed / Sometimes / The Circus / Spiralling / In The Hall Of The Mountain King (From the Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 Opus 46 by Greig. Arranged by Erasure) / Sometimes (12" Mix), It Doesn't Have To Be (Boop Oopa Doo Mix)

CD TWO (b-sides, mixes and sessions) - Sexuality (12" Mix) / Sometimes (Shiver Mix) / The Circus (Bareback Rider Mix) / Who Needs Love Like That (Betty Boop Mix) / It Doesn't Have To Be (Cement Mix) / The Soldier's Return (The Return Of The Radical Radcliffe Mix) / Victim Of Love (Vixen Vitesse Mix) / If I Could (Japanese Mix) / The Circus (Radio 1 Session, 10/3/87) / Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (Radio 1 Session, 10/3/87) / Spiralling (Radio 1 Session, 10/3/87) / Phantom Bride (Radio 1 Session, 10/3/87)

DVD (promo videos, performances and concert footage) - Sometimes (promo video) / It Doesn't Have To Be (promo video) / Victim Of Love (promo video) / The Circus (promo video) / Sometimes (TOTP, 20/11/86) / It Doesn't Have To Be (TOTP, 19/3/87) / Victim Of Love (TOTP, 5/6/87) / The Circus (TOTP, 22/10/87) + 'Live At The Seaside', a concert recorded at The Dome in Brighton on 17/4/87 previously released on VHS but now available on DVD for the first time. The concert features live versions of Safety In Numbers / Victim Of Love / It Doesn't Have To Be / Don't Dance / Who Needs Love (Like That) / Leave Me To Bleed / If I Could / Oh L'Amour / The Circus / Say What / Sometimes / Spiralling / Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (* = previously unreleased)

The Sound Of Arrows - Nova

Fans of the very best in synth-pop delight - The Sound of Arrows deliver skyrocketing synths on a suitably interstellar scale in brilliant new single Nova. Remixing the likes of Lady Gaga and Alphabeat, the Swedish duo have carved out quite a name for themselves and with tracks as commanding and attention-grabbing as Nova, it's hard not to stop and take heed.

If the likes of Delphic whetted your appetite for immaculately produced slipstreams of electronic magic, then The Sound of Arrows provide the perfect fix. Combining anthemic keyboard hooks that synth-pop legends Erasure and Pet Shop Boys would be proud of with thundering club basslines, Nova is that moment of pure bliss and unadultered joy in the heart of a crowded dancefloor. Achingly beautiful yet enfused with what sounds like the power of a hundred nuclear reactors, the chorus is a tale of longing; a yearning for 'something better'. And have I mentioned that two-some's singer is called Stefan Storm? Quite possibly one of the coolest names in pop, and also somehow brilliantly fitting to the images of lightning-split skies Nova's towering crescendo of synths conjures up.

Breathtaking, exhilarating; if ever a song could capture pure electricity, then Nova would be it.

Nova is released 25th April.

Billie Ray Martin - Sweet Suburban Disco (Vince Clark Mix)

When it comes to dance music, Billie Ray Martin really is one of the reigning queens. With a list of hit club tracks as long as your arm to her name as well as DJ slots around the world, she's certainly not lacking in the experience department. What we get with her brilliant new track Sweet Suburban Disco though is the spotlight shining firmly on her voice... and what a voice she has!

As a big Erasure fan, I had to take a listen to Vince Clark's version of the track and the mix represents something far darker than anything Erasure have put out in years - a relentless, threatening bassline throbs away; the perfect counterpoint to Billie's soulful vocals. Her voice is pure class, harking back to the days of the disco greats of the 70s - this track remains utterly modern in its chic-ness however; a stabbing synth break-down four minutes in a technical example in how to engineer a perfect club climax.

That's Sweet Suburban Disco's greatest strength, it's knowing. When it wants to be gentle, subtle and caressing, it can be. But when it wants to turn on the passion and energy, it goes for it full-tilt. This is a club track with real intelligence to it, something befitting individuals who've been in the game as long as Billie and Vince. Moody, sultry and with a brilliant sheen of dancefloor glamour, Sweet Suburban Disco is a definite delight.

Sweet Suburban Disco is released on March 28th.

Snoop Dogg feat. T-Pain - Boom

Everyone loves to sample 80s classics, especially Yazoo tracks. Yazoo/Erasure/Depeche Mode mastermind Vince Clarke was a pro at coming up with an amazing synth hook after all. And the latest in the long line of 're-invisioned' Yazoo tracks comes courtesy of Snoop Dogg and his new tune Boom. Sampling Yazoo's Situation, it's a suitably club friendly bit of hip-hop and also features T-Pain. I rather like the Fallout-esque, gritty futuristic intro to the video - all gas masks and everything. Very cool.

As for the song though... It's alright, but it's nowhere near as good as what The Saturdays did with If This Is Love.