Tomorrow'S World Deluxe

It's hard to believe that there are negative reviews, but remember that we're not in the 80s or 90s anymore, and some risks have to be taken in order to move forward as an artist. This includes changing the arrangements and style somewhat, and, of course, that is the case with this album.I didn't know what to expect at first, but the end result is very positive. I will concentrate mainly on reviewing the musical side, disregarding the lyrics because I'm still not familiar with them, apart from a few tracks.The first seconds of the opening track, "Be With You", are an instant hook that will probably lift your spirit on a large measure. The song itself is another epic masterpiece, a new Erasure hymn that is already looking like it's becoming a live classic, as seen on the current tour shows. The sound textures were very appropriately chosen to achieve a "feel good" wall of sound. Think of "I Say, I Say, I Say", because this could perfectly pass as a lost track from that album, rearranged with a modern sound. It's impossible to listen to this tune and remain indifferent. I relate it very closely to "Take Me Back", my favorite Erasure track so far. Yes, there is some deliberate auto-tune, but that doesn't detract a single bit from its excellence. Andy Bell does not need auto-tune, so it comes across as an artistic tool and not like cheating at all; besides, it's used really sparingly and with good judgment. Again, it's suprisingly similar to "Take Me Back" in structure and overall mood, and that is, for me, a good thing. Before you know it, you may feel like singing along to it. The only negative thing one could find is that it lasts less than four minutes, and so playing it twice in succession does some justice. 10/10"Fill Us With Fire" is a second-tier song, not particularly memorable, but not bad. This is one of those tunes that could really benefit from a heavy remix or a different arrangement. Not sure whose fault is this, but it sort of underachieves. 6/10"What Will I Say When You Are Gone?" is a slow track that gets progressively better but it's still not good enough. This is the other track that may score as forgettable in the album. I think it's an experiment in mainstream eurocr*p. It doesn't matter anyway, because the positives of the album shadow the negatives. Every Erasure album has a couple of tracks that are not that good, and this is one of them. 6/10"You've Got To Save Me Right Now" is a soul song performed in an electronic world, which sounds like another experiment that didn't fully work, and the arrangement didn't help with the bass and the opening melody. Not to my particular liking, but I admit it's not bad. Makes you think they probably recognized halfway through recording that it wasn't the strongest song in the album and kept it short of 3 minutes to compensate. 7/10"A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot" is a song that surely Lady Gaga will notice and undoubtedly copy soon (or has Erasure deliberately copied the great copycat?), because it seems written in that style. The arrangement combines commercial Gaga-esque sound with some electro bits and the mandatory filtering and sound repetitions, finalizing with some lines in French thrown in. Addictive... but smarter than mainstream commercial pop. 9/10"When I Start To (Break It All Down)" is another lifting track, inducing you to sing along very quickly, only to realize that you will probably won't match Andy Bell's register when reaching the chorus. The arrangement of the first verses has some reminiscence of "The Innocents" (I think that the main synth line uses the same synth sound as "A Little Respect" as well as "Love the Way You Do So" from the "Erasure" album), but the chorus is loaded with new textures, making it sound really nice. You will surely already know this song as it's a single. Very good stuff. 9/10"I Lose Myself" is like a parallel-universe eurodance relative of "Crown of Thorns" in the musical structure, at least in the verses. It's hard to explain, but it works perfectly and it evolves into a full-fledged energetic dance song. Good stuff, but the bridge could have been a bit better. You would probably play this moving, ambient-filled song while driving a car on a highway. 8/10"Then I Go Twisting" is a gem. It's a condensed version of modern trance (or trancy eurodance) at its best. Hard to believe that Erasure is actually doing this style, but it works amazingly well. The chorus is just perfect, likely to stir the emotions associated with the genre. A brave move that pays off, although either they or the arranger (Frankmusik) weren't confident enough to develop a full-length 5 or 6 minutes trance song. I think that this is the most significant evolutionary track of the whole album. If they venture farther, in the future, into these realms, it's quite likely that we'll get better iterations, but I might be saying that because I enjoy trance music. 9/10"Just When I Thought It Was Ending" is a slowly paced track with a sticky chorus line leaning heavily into the sadness conveying mode. The "It's just a matter of time, and only time" part will surely stick in your head long afterwards. I'm quite sure that the synth used in the excellent "Hideaway" solo is used here in the chorus as well, and so it musically bears some connection with that song. 8/10"Tomorrow's World" is an instrumental track that starts by sounding like a tune hidden in Giorgio Moroder's extensive discography combined with a Yazoo-styled melody, instantly switching to a chiptune sound (think of the exact same sounds of the Nintendo Entertainment System or Famicom, if you will) and then jumping into a Moroder style again (think of "I Feel Loved"), finalizing a four-part structure with a mid-80s italo disco synth melody in what is, for me, a clear tribute to electronic music itself. As such, I think it's fair to give it a 7/10.And so we have four really strong standout songs, one of which I think it's solid gold, as well as the rest of the album which is really easy to listen to and enjoy, over and over again, probably monopolizing your time. Erasure is one of the few bands that are very likely to put you in a positive, feel-good mood, saving yourself from a bad day. That was not fulfilled in the last few albums, but, fortunately, it happened again.

I read most of the 35 reviews posted here and I see some strange things written here and I see some things that make sense as well. It's rough being an Erasure fan, having stuck with them all these years. I think we fans should appreciate the fact that they are still around and still making music. Most duos and/or bands don't last 25 years. We fans are still fans, no matter what phase of Erasure's career we enjoy. I don't think we fans are disappointed that they continue to release new music every few years.That being said, complaints seem to be directed at Andy's vocals, the production value by Frankmusik, and the lyrics. I agree that Andy's vocals are tweaked on this album, but generally speaking if you are going to nitpick that much about the decline in his vocals, I say why bother? He's aging, and everyone knows that most singers, as they age, their vocals deepen. Manipulating his vocals is something that's trendy right now in popular music, and you either like that or hate it. I mean Cher's vocals were manipulated for "Believe" and no one seemed to complain, sending it to number one. Andy Bell still sounds like Andy Bell here. There's no mistaking it.The production value is more contemporary, and it didn't bother me. There are many artists that upgrade their sound using contemporary producers and studio techniques and I've never had a problem with artists who do this. I don't really want Erasure to sound like 1986 or 1991 or 1997. But they still do, even with this new producer. I mean "Loveboat" was a more radical change in sound that "Tomorrow's World". "Union" was a more radical change in their sound.Lyrics. Since when has Andy or Vince been Bob Dylan? Their lyrics haven't changed that much over the years. What is the point about denouncing their lyrics as sub-par on "Tomorrow's World"?So here it is: I, too, have been a fan of Erasure, getting on board in 1988 with "The Innocents" and never looking back. I have everything from Depeche Mode, and I have both of Yaz's albums. I have both of Andy Bell's solo albums as well. I think I agree with fans who have felt that, perhaps since 1997's "Cowboy", Erasure have been hit or miss. "Loveboat" was sort of a miss, "Other People's Song" was sort of a miss, "Nightbird" was mostly a hit, "Union" was a miss and "Light At The End Of The World" was a miss."Tomorrow's World", if you take into account what I've argued above, is a hit. It returns Andy and Vince to their proper place--catchy, upbeat, synth and beat driven songs about forlorn love, which is what they've always excelled at. This is the first time since "Cowboy" that I felt the duo is alive. I also noticed that "Tomorrow's World" is their highest charting album in the U.S. since "Cowboy", peaking at number 61 and 43 respectively. Every album they have released in between has either not charted or has not cracked the top 100 albums. Album sales speak to me as proof that other buyers feel the same way, that perhaps "Tomorrow's World" is the best thing they've done in over a decade, arguably.I liked seeing that there was only 9 songs (just like the old days!) I added the additional bonus track, "Give Me Life" from disc two to round out the album at an even 10 tracks. Short and sweet, just how it should be. Someone complained about the brevity, and that someone(s) must not have heard the golden rule that less is more. This is the old Erasure with plastic surgery enhancements. They are new and improved in places while still looking like their old selves."Tomorrow's World" isn't their best work, but come on now, it's not one, two or three stars either. There's hardly a bad song to be found here. "Be With You" is classic Erasure, full of bouncy snyth beauty and contemporary Erasure beats. "Fill Us With Fire" is also similar. "You've Got To Save Me Right Now" finds the duo at their most soulful in years. "A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot" is about as contemporary sounding as Erasure can get with distorted vocals and cut and paste production values. First single, "When I Start To (Break It All Down)" is a strong ballad reminder in the vein of "Always"--their highest charting single in the U.S. to date. I think it was a good first single, but let's face it, the music industry is in decline and chaos, so an old band like Erasure has no chance of catching the public's attention anymore, so it flopped, as the album has already done (61 isn't a hit album when you have dumb but catchy Katy Perry storming the charts).Four stars for a good album that deserves to be bought and listened to repeatedly. It sits nicely next to Erasure's better albums, and it avoids the pitfalls that have hampered most of Erasure's work over the past decade. Here's how "Tomorrow's World" compares to Erasure's previous works:Erasure:1986 Wonderland: Three and a Half Stars1987 The Circus: Four Stars1988 The Innocents: Four Stars1989 Wild!: Four Stars1991 Chorus: Five Stars1994 I Say I Say I Say: Four Stars1995 Erasure: Four Stars1997 Cowboy: Four Stars2000 Loveboat: Three Stars2003 Other People's Songs: Three Stars2005 Nightbird: Four Stars2006 Union Street: Three Stars2007 Light At The End Of The World: Three Stars2011 Tomorrow's World: Four StarsAndy Bell Solo:2005 Electric Blue: Three and a Half Stars2010 Non-stop: Three and a Half Stars

Erasure can be applauded for their longevity, and although it's pleasing to have a new album Tomorrows World seems to be stuck in the same rut that Andy's Solo album "electric blue" came from. Andy's voice sounds very un-erasure like, and does he really need to use a vocoder yet??!! Saying that, there's 9 lovely little poppy tunes, well produced by frankmusic. At only half an hour long it's a very short album and i dont know why the 2nd cd of mixes and demos wasn't just tagged on the end of the album. After a couple of listens you'll love most of the tracks anyway,which is the main thing.

Love Erasure, this is a fab CD, can't help but dance to it when I put it on, no matter what I'm doing, cleaning the house or even cooking I have to have a dance :) brilliant songs from them, saw them live when they were promoting this at Sherwood Forest.

I was disappointed with this album.it seems that Andy and Vince tried to do something different and for me it didnt work.This seems to have a dance theme beat and every track seems very much the same not their usual high quality.

Very good album, with some nice tunes.

Erasure definitely put this out just to have a new release at the time, i felt it was poor by there high standards