Customer Reviews

Nightbird

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

After reading all the pre-release hype surrounding Erasure's "return to form" on their new cd Nightbird, I was torn. The cynic in me thought the finished product would amount to just that - hype. The optimist ( and Erasure lover ) in me was filled with a mixture of excitement and just a little bit of resentment, because I never thought Erasure "went away". Sure, they experimented with their trademark sound and their songwriting, to mostly negative reception from critics and fans alike. But there were MANY sterling moments on their Nineties albums, especially on I Say I Say I Say, Erasure ( my personal favourite ) and Cowboy. They haven't had a Top Forty hit in well over a decade here, and I doubt that will ever change, seeing our radio charts clogged with teen pop, rap, and mindless novelty dance hits. I am happy to say this album is a keeper, despite ( or perhaps because of ) the fact that most of the songs are ballads or have a nice bouncey mid-tempo. One or two songs step up to a bit of a dance beat, but the minor key melodies and somber lyrics keep them from falling squarely into the Hi NRG camp. Although Nightbird is lacking anything as Hi-NRG as STOP! or DRAMA!, that's not necessarily a bad thing. I personally thought those two songs were a bit over the top, the vocals verging on hysterics. This CD sounds great, in regard to the instrumentation, the production and mixing. Nicely layered but subtle. And it thankfully doesn't have that "LO-FI" indie sound that very nearly - literally - sank Loveboat, their last album of original material, which was full of great songs but sounded awful ( I STILL blame producer Flood for that mess ) . The vocals are warm, rich and considerd. Very adult, and not over the top or showy. Lyrically Erasure have never strayed too far from love songs, and Nightbird is no exception. Sentimental, but not sappy. Very well done, gentlemen. And congratulations on your return to the British Top 5 with the first single "Breathe." I'd go over my list of what I consider highlights, but you know how that goes. What I might like or dislike is not necessarily what someone else would like or dislike. But I can say this: If you were a fan of Erasure in the early days but were turned off by their forays into ambient experiments, or their try at simplistic, lo-fi synth and acoustic guitar songs, or the mixed-results covers album, please do yourself a favour and give Nightbird a listen. Borrow a friend's copy. Or just go out and buy it. I think you'll like it.

I have loved Erasure since the 80's and they have always been my favorite group. I adored their 80's pop songs in my 20's, then in my 30's I adored their slower more soulful albums: Chorus, I Say I Say I Say and Erasure. Now I am turning 40 and just got Nightbird last week and I love it too. It took a week to grow on me. My first impression was it was too upbeat and full of too many love songs, but after listening to it for a full week, I really love this album! My favorite songs are song #3 and #5.

There is something inspiring about Erasure's music. I am not religious, and do not know if they are, but their songs touch my soul like no other songs can. Erasure's music is healing, loving, relaxing and moving. This album is very upbeat and will have you dancing. Still it is also deeply moving and touching.

Buy Nightbird, Erasure fans will not be dissapointed.

I'd like to start by addressing the fans out there that have trashed this album by saying that it isn't as good as (insert your favorite Erasure album here). Tell me, can you identify ONE group from the synth-pop era who is making albums as good as 15 or 20 years ago??? Give Vince and Andy a break!

Not only that, they are OLDER now, I mean do you want to see Andy staggering on as a high-camp queen, kicking up his heels and singing falsetto? They are on a different plane now. Don't tell me that you are the same person you were two decades ago! Everyone grows and matures.

Now, about the album. If you are into comparisons, this fits the Chorus mold, meaning an album that is solid from start to finish, as opposed to a pastiche of different styles, like Wild! In that vein, you could also compare it to I Say, I Say, I Say, I suppose.

Perhaps Erasure could have dared more. It is called Nightbird; maybe they could have played more with the concept of a nightbird. But it is nonetheless a very listenable album.

I cannot believe that there hasn't been more adulation for All This Time Still Falling Out of Love. Everyone seems to be raving about Here I Go Impossible Again, which sounded very OMD the first time I heard it. Not to say that that's a bad thing. But All This Time is very uplifting, and heart-rendering at the same time. Lines like "I want it all" and "God help me" really speak to my heart. Besides, it's a high-NRG, turbo track that you want to crank the volume up for!

Let's Take One More Rocket To the Moon should appeal to I Say fans. I Bet You're Mad at Me sounds almost like something from Chorus, a somber, wintry track. I'll Be There is better than what the critics would have you believe. Sweet Surrender has baffling lyrics, but is another uptempo keeper. I Broke It All in Two is an experience we've all lived. And yes, No Doubt is shades of Sarah Brightman.

All in all, despite the occasional track that sounds a bit generic, this is worth buying. You will like it, as long as you accept that it's no longer the mid-eighties or early nineties!

If Erasure's last album, "Other Peoples Songs" left you wanting something original from Erasure then this album is for you. Although this album sounds similar to the "Chorus" album from years ago, there is enough newness to this cd that will prevent you from saying, "I've heard all this before." Also note that the remixes for the first single "breath" are really good, with the "LMC extended club mix" as my personal favorite. Although no new ground is broken on this cd release, Erasure is back to their true form with beautiful melodies and original heartfelt lyrics. Out of the eleven songs on this set, there are several standouts such as "sweet surrender" and "all this time still falling out of love." If you are an Erasure fan, buy this album now, it's the best they have done is about a decade!

Having received a promo CD early last week, I was very much looking forward to hearing new material from the boys.

I am delighted that Erasure has gone back to their style in writing and producing.

Andy & Vince have created one of their best albums to date with this album, I cannot fault it in anyway, I was hooked the minute I heard it.

Erasure doing what they do best, classic pop songs and melodies. It's a rollercoaster of emotions. The songs are some of the finest the boys have created, stirring emotions of Love, Hate & Tragedy....

Don't Say You Love Me, Lets Take One More Rocket to the Moon & Breathe are the best tracks and I look forward to the single releases.

Well done Andy & Vince on creating this album, you have restored faith in your fans. A great start to 2005, with undoublty one of the `BEST ALBUMS' of the year.

As a heterosexual male, I have long been ridiculed by my friends for listening to Erasure. I have never really cared since Erasure produces a certain type of pop you don't hear anymore, especially stateside. Beautiful songs verging on the sublime when they are on their "A" game.

From my observations, there are two groups of Erasure fans. The first group is mostly attractive to them for their fun, catchy songs best epitomized with The Innocents and later revisited in Cowboy. The other group appreciates more their complex, ambient, more mature work seen in Chorus and Erasure.

It seems the first group sees Nightbird as the second coming of Christ. Back to their true form. As a member of the second group, I wish the album would have been more layered and ambient. I agree with a previous reviewer who wrote that after Erasure was not received well critically, they panicked and reverted to the old form of catchy pop hits a la Cowboy. Nightbird is a continuation of this trend.

Don't get me wrong. Nightbird is a great album. All the songs have great melodies, Andy's voice sounds terrific, and Breathe is probably their best single since the days of Chorus. But where are the great background vocals seen in songs like "I Love Saturday," "Star," and almost all of I SayX3 that are hallmark Erasure? Where are the clever intro and endings of songs best seen in "Brother and Sister," "Perfect Stranger," "Take me back," etc? Aside from Breathe, none of the songs on Nightbird enter or exit with any level uniqueness.

These might be minor points, but I miss those little things that made the 1991-95 period their best. As a whole, Nightbird is a breath of fresh air and partly puts to rest my fear that Erasure was through putting out quality work. It seems their Loveboat has turned back toward the right direction.

I avoided buying this album for several reasons. I enjoyed the song "Breathe" when it first came out, but when I previewed the album at a record store, it seemed somewhat slow and melancholy to me. I couldn't remember any of the other songs, and I thought that as a whole, the album was unmemorable. However, a friend convinced me ro reconsider, and since I owned every other Erasure album, I decided to buy it and give it a second chance.

I am extremely glad I did. The more I listened to the album, the more I began to thoroughly enjoy every single song. The vocals have never been more layered or beautiful, and the melodies became more and more catchy with every listen. The album really is a throwback to their best of the eighties--true synth pop at its best. Yes, it's somewhat slower as a whole, but I realized that this doesn't mean it isn't a great album. In fact, I rank it right up there with "Chorus" as one of their best.

Best songs on the album:

1) Let's Take One More Rocket to the Moon--the most catchy song on the album. I've heard some criticism about the lyrics being somewhat silly, but if you're looking for pure synth heaven, then you can't get any better than this. It will stay in your head for days.

2) Breathe-- the first single (should have gotten more radio play!)

3) Because Our Love is Real-- slow song, but listen to the way the vocals overlap each other beautifully. Another one you'll be singing along with!

4) Don't Say You Love Me-- very ABBA-esque, totally fun song (still not the fastest, but does have a beat)

5) All This Time Still Falling Out of Love-- the fastest and danciest song on the album. When this one kicks into gear, you suddenly realize how mellow (but not bad) the rest of the album has been.

Okay, the first thing that I'll admit here is that I'm a relatively "young" Erasure fan - I'm 23, and this is only the third album I've bought by them, although I am familiar with many of their older, 80's hits from hearing them on the radio.

I first got into them when I was twelve, and I Say I Say I Say had just been released. I was just completely stunned by that album - loved it, lived it, listened to it every single day. Once Cowboy came out in 1997, I bought that next, and liked it, though at the time, I felt it was inferior to I Say. Either way, I was a teenage girl that thought Erasure were pretty awesome.

Then I sort of forgot about Erasure for a few years, as I entered my late teens and twenties, and only recently got back into them, wanting to listen to some upbeat tunes at work. I dug out my old CD's, completely rediscovered the old wonderful songs with my now-adult ears, and decided to check out Nightbird.

This album is not as upbeat as some of their previous ones, but I think that's why I like it so much. The songs are mellow and absolutely beautiful. Andy Bell's voice is otherworldly, and time hasn't weathered it very much at all in the last ten years (which is amazing to me.) I would have to agree with another reviewer who stated that Andy Bell is one of the best male vocalists around today (I'm paraphrasing, of course.) His voice is so clear, so smooth and elegantly nuanced that you cannot help but be transfixed by the songs on this album.

My particular favorite songs on Nightbird are "Here I Go Impossible Again," for the interesting song structure and the lyrics - while simple - convey emotions that I'm sure we've all felt towards a lover at some point in our lives.

The vocals during the very simple chorus of "Breathe" are nothing short of stunning, and the song itself is very pretty and relaxing. I'm probably sounding like a broken record by now with these descriptions, but I can't help it! There aren't many other words you can use to describe Erasure's music other than "beautiful," "stunning" and other such adjectives.

My other favorites on the album include the opening track "No Doubt" and "Because Our Love Is Real," for many of the same reasons I've listed above. Which isn't to say that the songs sound the same, but just that they're all equally pretty and uplifting in some way.

I'm afraid I've gotten a bit long-winded with this review, so I'll summarize now and then stop typing! In short, whether you've been an Erasure fan forever or if you're just a fan of pretty, soaring pop songs, this album is for you :)

I've been a fan since Wonderland in 86, and this album is one of the best.

80's synth rock has always been my absolute favorite genre of music, but I never really got into Erasure for some reason. In fact I was thrilled when Vince Clark left Depeche Mode and Martin Gore took over as solo songwriter. Depeche Mode could never had produced such dark and moody music had Clark stayed with them. However, for some reason I stumbled onto Erasure's new album, Nightbird, and gave it a listen. The first song I listened to was Here I Go Impossible Again, which instantly caught my attention with its sweet retro sounds and melodies. So I decided to buy the album. I was extremely surprised at how excellent the rest of the music is, it was truly a great and unexpected surprise! Every song on here is good, especially Breathe, I Bet You're Mad at Me, I Broke It All In Two and Let's Take One More Rocket To The Moon. Although I am not familiar with all of Erasure's older material, this has a melancholy feel about it, unlike most of the other Erasure I haver heard. It's slower and more mature sounding, but not depressing at all. I have only owned this album a few days, but I can't stop listening to it, and I know it will become one of my favorites. Even if you're not a huge fan of Erasure's older songs, give this album a try, it's excellent!