Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Rebooting love as a concept may sound eerie, unnerving, cold, in the modern era, the constant need for affirmation is upon us, the signs are there, the way forward is from the ashes of neglect comes further hardship, the fall of hope, the springboard of the eternal. It is in the signs provided the less than truthful, the ones who have a vested interest in keeping the supply of love rebounding that we have to be wary of.
However, in The Neon lights shines a radiating glory, love is not rebooted, it is refreshed, the same love bestowed early in a relationship is held onto and renewed, like vows taken at the alter thirty years apart but with no let-up of affection and respect in between; that is the marker of love, one that is forever highlighted by The Neon.
For Andy Bell and Vince Clarke, their brand-new album, The Neon, is about the feeling once more being understood, and away from personal projects, a reconnection of spirit, of the spiritual, and one that as they both agree, can be heard directly from the first beat laid down and blazed away since Erasure burst onto the scene.
Pop may have a shelf life, the constant perhaps eluding many as fashion dictates, however the sign that has proudly proclaimed the name Erasure on its banner, electric blues and shades of warm reds dominating the skyline, is arguably beyond fashion, it is instinctive, creatively prevailing and a force that continues to be driven by unabashed tradition and craft.
Across moments of sheer audacity and raging beauty such as the opening track of Hey Now (Think I Got A Feeling), No Point In Tripping, the single Shot A Satellite, Diamond Lies, Careful What I Try To Do and the finale of Kid You’re Not Alone, Erasure’s superb follow up to 2017s World Be Gone captures the mood of spiritual joy, a dance floor heaving, prevailing, against the sensationalism of the throw away hero worship, instead forcefully dedicating itself to once more showcasing just how good a sound will remain when it’s been bathed in the soft light cast by The Neon.
A pleasure to be encased in the light once more of one of Britain’s most enduring, and endearing pop duos, The Neon is more than a welcome sign, it is an invitation that lights up the sky and asks that you all have your pulses ready to go into overtime.
Erasure release The Neon on August 21st via Mute.
Ian D. Hall