Artist: Erasure
Title: Snow Globe
Genre: Pop / Synth Pop
Release Date: 8th November 2013
Label: Mute Records
Album Review
Two things to start with: I hate Christmas albums generally (only a few such as Annie Lennox, Hooverphonic or Kate Bush really pleased me), and I'm not a big fan of ERASURE anymore. Last time I had (little) interest in one of their album was probably ‘Love Boat’ and a bit of ‘Nightbird’. When I was asked to review ERASURE's Christmas opus, guess what was my first thinking… Having said that, Vince Clarke can be a genius when he wants, that's why I put myself in an open minded state of mind before listening to it. And I must admit it's a pretty good album! To be honest, apart from five or six tracks, there's no real typical “Christmas” sounding to it (bells, “ooooh oooooh”).
Of course there's ‘Holy Night’ (is it written somewhere in the stone that every Christmas album HAVE to have a ‘Holy Night’ cover?), ‘Gaudette’ or ‘Bells Of Love’. But for the rest of it, let's say it's a typical ERASURE album... I mean a real one, not a “Erasure tries to sound Dancey Trancey Euro Stuff”. No, the one with true Vince's analogue synths that sometimes remind YAZOO times: ‘Loving Man’ (a catchy one that could make a nice single), ‘The Christmas Song’, ‘Blood On The Snow’, ‘There'll Be No Tomorrow’ (very DM circa 1980 intro). And even the already mentioned Christmas songs have the Erasure print to it. I've enjoyed very much the listening of it and must confess I listen to it from times to times since I received it.
It will not stay as a huge piece in ERASURE's discography but it will certainly make a perfect atmosphere for your Christmas celebrations, which is the objective of it isn't it? The other hidden target might also be to prove they still can produce the ERASURE we loved long ago with this analogic / Clarke so typical sound? A kind of Christmas gift for long-time fans? Who knows? Well done!
Tracklist
01. Bells of Love (Isabelle's of Love) - 3:59
02. Gaudete - 2:44
03. Make It Wonderful - 3:34
04. Sleep Quietly - 2:52
05. Silent Night - 3:53
06. Loving Man - 3:23
07. The Christmas Song - 2:26
08. Bleak Midwinter - 4:28
09. Blood On the Snow - 3:43
10. There'll Be No Tomorrow - 3:39
11. Midnight Clear - 3:32
12. White Christmas - 3:29
13. Silver Bells - 3:05
Line-up
Andy Bell
Vince Clarke
Website
http://www.erasureinfo.com / https://www.facebook.com/erasureinfo
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 7
Sound: 9
Total: 8 / 10
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