Union Street

Performer: Erasure
Distributor: Caroline Distribution

Notes: The swift follow-up to 2005's well-received NIGHTBIRD, UNION STREET finds Erasure in an unlikely acoustic scenario. Rather than including songs from the aforementioned album or even a round of hits, this 11-track record throws listeners an intriguing curveball by featuring the venerable U.K. duo running through a set of lesser-known tunes. Stripped of their synth-pop veneer, these songs are cast in a wholly new light, with Andy Bell's plaintive voice coming to the fore over gentle, lilting accompaniment. Though some tunes are extremely minimal in their arrangements--"Home," for example, primarily employs acoustic and pedal-steel guitars--the gorgeous "Stay with Me" builds to a spacious sense of majesty with the assistance of a gospel choir. While most Erasure albums evoke the energy of a night of clubbing, UNION STREET perfectly embodies the mellow atmosphere of the next morning.

Mojo (Publisher) (p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Vince Clarke's tunes are sensitively framed by guitarist collaborator Steve Walsh..."

After founding seminal synth-pop outfits Depeche Mode and Yaz, Vince Clarke joined forces with singer Andy Bell in the mid-1980s to form Erasure, combining Clarke's melodic electro-pop pedigree with a more danceable approach. The duo scored numerous hits throughout the second half of the '80s. Though their chart presence diminished somewhat in the '90s, the pair continued tenaciously into the 21st century. Latter-day releases found Erasure saluting their influences, with an EP of Abba tunes in '92 and a covers album, OTHER PEOPLE'S SONGS, in 2003.

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