Sunday Girl- Great opening with the most interesting intro ever,then wham!... in comes Vince with his trademark synth lines. A good choice for the 2nd single with a great feel good factor. A big nod towards Andy's favourite Blondie,this is looking good so far.
I Could Fall In Love With You- The first single another perfect slice of pop heaven,the album version with more Vince bleeps than the single mixes,but with the killer choruses you can't help but sing along to this was always going to be a standout track.
Sucker For Love- This song just jumps out at you from your stereo....for me this takes you straight back to the early 80's and 'Divine' keeps coming into my head whenever i here it,pure hi energy pop campness.
Storm In A Teacup- A perfect moment for Vince & Andy to show off their undeniable talent as a mighty pop partnership. Both perfectly matching together in music and lyrics to form a piece of understated brilliance.
Fly Away- Autopilot mode as Vince & Andy carry us away on their synth journey,not one of my favs,but it has seemed to grab a lot of peoples attention.
Golden Heart- Trademark synth lines open this track,a great vocal from Andy,Vince again getting the backing just right to accompany Andy.
How My Eyes Adore You- Three beeps open this track to an almost accapella vocal from Andy,which then opens into a mid-tempo Erasure classic,Andy croons away over one of Vince's finest arrangements,in my mind with a great middle eight that sits perfectly with andy's melodies just plain stunning.
Darlene- I was surprised to here that this track almost never made the album,but luckily for me it did,as i make this my favourite track from the album. Vince really has got this track perfect,beautiful synth riffs and his talent for layering all his sounds together to form perfect mini musical masterpieces,just the right thing to play at the Albert Hall,with Andy singing wonderfully over the top. Just get me an extended 12".
When A Lover Leaves You- Where does Vince get all these killer hooks from?,they just keep coming! Where does Andy get his singalong chorus/verses?,wherever it is keep finding them for all our sakes. Great stuff.
Glass Angel- Now we reach the end of the album (unless you have the limited edition!)........now this is a bit of a puzzle for me,as it sits as the final track but seems to be of a different feel to the rest of what we've heard so far,but not in a bad way. It sounds a lot darker with Vince getting more Depeche Mode than Erasure and Andy singing over the top with more great vocals as you would expect,i hope this is a sign of greater things to come. Now is the plane taking off at the end of the track Vince flying off back to America?
On the whole i am seriously thinking of claiming that LATEOTW is my new favourite Erasure album,a big statement indeed but when Nightbird came out many claimed it to be Erasure back on form and back to what they do best,this album had high hopes pinned on it,i was expecting something good,but was totally shocked to hear something this good,its really excellent and far beyond what i'd hoped for.....well done Erasure!!
On the whole i am seriously thinking of claiming that LATEOTW is my new favourite Erasure album,a big statement indeed but when Nightbird came out many claimed it to be Erasure back on form and back to what they do best,this album had high hopes pinned on it,i was expecting something good,but was totally shocked to hear something this good,its really excellent and far beyond what i'd hoped for.....well done Erasure!!
Underrated, i like this album more than LATEOTW, Fly away is my favourite track here along with How my eyes adore you, for me this album is close to their late 80's early 90's work. Difficult not to enjoy this album.
I just realized this album is 10 years old next month! Sheesh. I'll throw in my $0.02 on this album. Love, love, love it! However, it did take several listens for it to grow on me, and over the years it has grown stronger and stronger. In my mind, I liken it to Cowboy - probably not the album you would give to someone who's never heard of Erasure as a first listen, but for those of us who love V&A, it's a solid effort with great tracks.
Sunday Girl - How can you not love this song? A great opener and catchy tune.
ICFILWY - When this single came out, I enjoyed it but didn't feel it was E's best. I still feel it's pretty darn average, but even E's mediocre tracks are great.
Sucker For Love - OK I don't like Sucker For Love and by the time it gets to the end, I'm ready for it to be over. However, it's not terrible but I just don't care for tracks that try to be sooo in-yer-face with a fast dance beat. IMO, tracks 2 and 3 are the low point of the album and it's all uphill from here.
Storm in a Teacup - Here's a track that is easy to gloss over. Over time, the more I listen to it, the more I love it. Andy's lyrics are just beautiful here and these are the kinds of lyrics we need more of, and less of the "love me, don't love you, love him, in love" stuff. It feels like he poured his heart out into this demure song.
Fly Away - Again, another grower. It's tracks like these that I suspect people who don't like the album didn't pay enough attention to. Just a gorgeous song, and a great one to sing along with, especially the end: "... in my hea-aaaaaart"
Golden Heart - Now 3 in a row. Understated but sublime. The melody of the bridge is just incredible ("you are the one..."). I'll say it's not quite as good as tracks 4 and 5, but still great.
How My Eyes Adore You - These next 3 tracks are some of Erasure's best, I feel. Maybe it's easy to exaggerate, but this track is just about perfect. Initially, I didn't care for the phrasing where Andy sings "Any time you're feeling lonely..." because it clashes with the beauty of the intro and rest of the song. However, I love the song and everything about it now.
Darlene - To sound like a broken record, this is another grower and a true hidden gem in Erasure's catalog. Absolutely love this song, both musically and lyrically. "You got your religion, I got my addiction, we got dirty dishes in the sink." Just who is Darlene (and Joan for that matter?? )
When a Lover Leaves You - imo the best track on the album. Vince really shines on this one with layers of wonderful sounds, and another catchy melody.
Glass Angel - And a great finisher, a bit darker but that's ok. I never knew how to compare this song to the rest of the album because it sounds unlike almost everything else they've done (a la A Long Goodbye). However, it works and I'd love to see V&A explore this direction with other songs.
At the time of release, I purchased the limited edition which includes the 2 extra tracks Be My Baby and I Don't Know Why. I don't care for either song and at the time, when I would finish listening to the album, those last 2 songs are what kind of remain in memory and it left a bad aftertaste. Scrapping those 2 tracks, LATEOTW is one of Erasure's finest. You could say a hidden gem, but the gem is right there on the cover, hiding in plain sight. Happy 10th birthday Light!
The best part of the album, was Gareth Jones' blog while making the record.
Admittedly, V&A started to lose me around that time. I'm realizing now that I still haven't listened to the album in full despite buying the US singles, ep and DVD.