Erasure: Tomorrow’s World

In the mid-80s, there were not a lot of more successful dance duos than Erasure. The British group released a string of successful singles including “Oh L’amour,” “Sometimes,” “It Doesn’t Have To Be,” and culminating in “Victim of Love” which topped the US dance charts. Unlike many 80s chart-toppers, Erasure’s star has never really faded in the dance world. Although, “Victim of Love” topped the charts it was not the group’s only number dance single. They duplicated the feat in 2005 with their single, “Breathe.” Six years later, the group release their 14th studio album, Tomorrow’s World.

It is ironic that an album called Tomorrow’s World would deliver such retro pop, but that’s exactly what it does. The album does not attempt to indulge in modern dance trends like dubstep; instead, the group relies their house roots.

The album’s lead single “When I Start To (Break It All Down)” shows the duo’s commitment to pop. The track starts with cello hits that sound like a sped up Coldplay “Viva La Vida.” Andy Bell’s distinct vocals get some touch of auto-tuning throughout but as the song goes into a crescendo, the vocals are auto-tuned to the point distortion. It works in the context of pop but it sounds so fabricated and fluffy that there is next to no substance there.

The whole album feels as though it lacks substance. It is obvious that Erasure was not worried about critical success with Tomorrow’s World but was maybe going for another US dance topper. Unfortunately I think the music sounds dated in the modern dance culture. In a world where everyone wants to be either LMFAO or Skillex, Erasure just does not measure up. But for listeners that want to party like it is 1999, Tomorrow’s World delivers some decent throwback dance music.

Rating: 7.4/10

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