Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
There is a kind of reflection that requires no mirror, that needs only the seeds of an artist or a group of like minded individuals to prove that the world is as insane, as bitter and reclusive as you believe, that the resentful have control, that the compassionate have been locked away and the embittered, sulky one track minds full of greed and power are somehow chipping away at the last vestiges of decency to be found in society and soon they will be coming for you. It is enough to shout out to the remains of humanity, World Be Gone, enough to wash your hands off the pungent and festering remains which used to be sweet.
It takes deliberate contemplation in hand with the outraged kneejerk reaction to sometimes show that the world has once again reached a tipping point, that if we are not careful the world even at this late stage of the game will become something dark, something altogether even more hideous than can be thought of.
It takes all sorts of artists to point it out but Erasure, back with their 17th studio album World Be Gone, as always put out the thoughtful musing and the sword wielding anger to their fans in the best way possible, that of positive enlightenment, that the music can overcome the fear, that Vince Clarke’s and Andy Bell’s timeless musical expression can show trepidation the door to trepidation with sombre and solemn articulation with the beat that you would expect from a class act.
The album is sombre, of that there is no doubt, yet deep in its heart and soul it is still the band that has always pushed boundaries and set alight the live stage. The world is now to quick to judge, it harangues everybody for their point of view immediately and still manages to dismiss all comments. The world is angry, the people that inhabit the planet somehow lured into thinking that kicking out is always the best option, yet as Erasure show, taking a moment to stop and think, to not hurt, too not set out to demand allegiance to an unworthy cause, is a far better way of life.
In tracks such as the album opener Love You To The Sky, A Bitter Parting, Sweet Summer Loving, Oh What A World and Lousy Sum Of Nothing, Erasure capture the possible zeitgeist without ever betraying both their ethics or their joy of making music for the right reasons. World Be Gone…but what do we replace it with, acceptance, love and honour will always be a good start, something Erasure offer completely in the new album. A smashing sense of musical accomplishment!
Erasure’s World Be Gone is released on May 19th.
Ian D. Hall