Following its antecedent by less than a year, World Beyond is a track-by-track orchestrated version of Erasure's 2017 album, World Be Gone. The band last did something like this in 1987 on a handful of tracks from The Two Ring Circus, a companion LP to their second album, The Circus. A re-recording more than a "reimagining," it captures Andy Bell back in the studio for fresh vocal takes, this time with the Belgian chamber ensemble Echo Collective. Given that Erasure's other half, synth pop icon Vince Clarke, would seem to be excluded from such an endeavor, it may surprise some to learn that he was the one who came up with the idea, for a single. (He's credited with "bright idea" in the liner notes.) As the project expanded, Clarke was heavily involved in planning with Echo Collective, though it should be noted that members of the septet did the arrangements, and Echo Collective received the sole producer credit. With some of its songs addressing anxieties resulting from election outcomes in 2016, it's one of the duo's melancholier releases, and the material lends itself well to these sparer, warmer arrangements. Having said that, the band's own tendencies already lend themselves to this treatment, including their dramatic melodies, solid rhythmic and harmonic foundations, and general poignancy, even on many of their more uptempo dance hits. A track like "Sweet Summer Loving" implies electronics with twinkling mallet percussion, ornamental touches by piano and strings, and a literal bassline. Elsewhere, the keyboard ballad "Still It's Not Over" is stripped to bare-bones piano, strings, and percussion. Helped by the fact that there isn't a genuine club banger on World Be Gone, the rearrangements are often surprisingly seamless, especially considering that Erasure have such a trademark electronic sound. On tracks like the 2017 single "Just a Little Love," however, fans are likely to miss the rousing infectiousness of the original. Through its similarities, though, World Beyond amplifies how efficient Erasure's own arrangements are, while at the same time giving Bell more space to command the room, which he does, with nuanced performances.Following its antecedent by less than a year, World Beyond is a track-by-track orchestrated version of Erasure's 2017 album, World Be Gone. The band last did something like this in 1987 on a handful of tracks from The Two Ring Circus, a companion LP to their second album, The Circus. A re-recording more than a "reimagining," it captures Andy Bell back in the studio for fresh vocal takes, this time with the Belgian chamber ensemble Echo Collective. Given that Erasure's other half, synth pop icon Vince Clarke, would seem to be excluded from such an endeavor, it may surprise some to learn that he was the one who came up with the idea, for a single. (He's credited with "bright idea" in the liner notes.) As the project expanded, Clarke was heavily involved in planning with Echo Collective, though it should be noted that members of the septet did the arrangements, and Echo Collective received the sole producer credit. With some of its songs addressing anxieties resulting from election outcomes in 2016, it's one of the duo's melancholier releases, and the material lends itself well to these sparer, warmer arrangements. Having said that, the band's own tendencies already lend themselves to this treatment, including their dramatic melodies, solid rhythmic and harmonic foundations, and general poignancy, even on many of their more uptempo dance hits. A track like "Sweet Summer Loving" implies electronics with twinkling mallet percussion, ornamental touches by piano and strings, and a literal bassline. Elsewhere, the keyboard ballad "Still It's Not Over" is stripped to bare-bones piano, strings, and percussion. Helped by the fact that there isn't a genuine club banger on World Be Gone, the rearrangements are often surprisingly seamless, especially considering that Erasure have such a trademark electronic sound. On tracks like the 2017 single "Just a Little Love," however, fans are likely to miss the rousing infectiousness of the original. Through its similarities, though, World Beyond amplifies how efficient Erasure's own arrangements are, while at the same time giving Bell more space to command the room, which he does, with nuanced performances.false2022-12-19 09:20:38World Beyond20182018-03-092018-03-0940Indie PopPopClassical1122332301471f95592a2-e109-45b5-a950-118b2514dcb643b58c98-3779-4b04-9a23-1c95cca3a1454e4b7b76-70cb-4139-8400-e9206f6494c8/media/data/media5/Music/Erasure/World Beyond (2018)/folder.jpgErasureAlbumArtistErasureArtistErasureErasureErasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1984, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a member of synth-pop duo Yazoo. From their fourth single, "Sometimes" (1986), Erasure established themselves on the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of the most successful acts of the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. From 1986 to 2007, the pair achieved 24 consecutive top-40 entries in the UK singles chart. By 2009, 34 of their 37 chart-eligible singles and EPs had made the UK top 40, including 17 climbing into the top 10. At the 1989 Brit Awards, Erasure won the Brit Award for Best British Group.
Erasure made their debut with the studio album Wonderland in 1986, however it did not perform well chart-wise. With their second release The Circus the following year in 1987 came major success, the album reaching UK number 6 and spawning four top-20 singles. Their third studio album, The Innocents released in 1988, was a number one and was followed the same year by the Christmas EP Crackers International peaking at number 2. The Innocents was the first in a string of albums to place in the top spot, with their next five long-form releases also reaching the pole position of the UK Albums Chart: the albums Wild! (1989) and the Mercury Prize nominated Chorus (1991), the ABBA tribute EP Abba-esque (1992), the compilation Pop! The First 20 Hits (1992), then the studio album I Say I Say I Say (1994).
Erasure's songs from albums of this period include "Oh L'amour", "Sometimes", "Victim of Love", "The Circus", "Ship of Fools", "Chains of Love", "A Little Respect", "Stop!", "Drama!", "Blue Savannah", "Star", "Chorus", "Love to Hate You", "Breath of Life", "Always" and "Run to the Sun".
Overall in their career, Erasure have written over 200 songs and have sold over 28 million albums worldwide.