POP MUSIC : Yes, That’s Techno-Pop, With All the Emotion Erased : * ERASURE “Chorus†<i> Reprise</i>
Former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke has been quoted in interviews as saying he doesn’t like his music being labeled “techno-pop.†But it’s hard to know what else to call a sound so steeped in synthesized mechanics. It’s also hard to make music that emphasizes this kind of post-disco, techno throb seem emotionally involving, no matter how artfully it is executed. This is a record that is spiritually cool at the core.
Voiced by singer Andy Bell, Clarke’s concerns range from environmental issues (the title song) to the game-playing, advance-and-retreat maneuvers that stymie relationships (“Love to Hate Youâ€). Like Prince, long a practitioner of the do-it-all-yourself school of studio wizardry, Clarke is largely an autonomous soul when it comes to creating music.
That works well enough if you have a world of interesting things to say and a unique, powerful means of expressing them. Erasure has a sound barely distinguishable from that of other British synth bands. The techno-pop stylings of Erasure give new meaning to the term disposable .
* New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).
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