Erasure Album: “Breathe [Maxi Single]”

If the Eighties are back, then the Nineties can't be far behind. Erasure, who straddled the end of the Eighties and the beginning of the Nineties, should be a logical candidate to lead a new charge into another decade's revival.

The pair has a knack for crafting pop songs that revel in unabashed cliché (unlike the Pet Shop Boys). But that is not a fault. Actually, in an age of posers smitten with irony, Erasure's defiant smattering of the sweet, the melancholy, the honesty, is refreshing in the extreme. If you're looking for vintage--no, pure--Erasure, then this latest album should reconnect you deeper, by way of the superficial, to the 90s.

a stunning single that proves awesome in the effective way that it plays on words (It's bitter without you - I can't live without you) and drives along to a steady beat. Like an audible zen koan, the words transform in your brain as the bass tones gently, but profoundly, work their magic on your neurons. One could perceive it as uni-dimensional and repetitive, but therein lies its power. The moody, haunting sounds deftly emulate the themes of addiction and love/hate components of relationships.

This single, on one hand, is simple and straightforward, yet complex and riddled with delightful ambiguity. Erasure has evolved within a framework that annoys certain magazine and newspaper reviewers who cannot seem to understand that lasting electronic music coalesces the simple within the complex; and that Erasure has mastered this formula.

I'm still giving this 4 stars for several reasons. First off, I love Erasure, and their concert tour this year was fantastic! Second off, this CD maxi-single as a package was one of the best releases of the year with so many mixes included, a B-side, and a video. You don't see too many CD maxis like these anymore. Absolutely essential for Erasure collectors.

However, I was not blown away by "Breathe" like everyone else seems to be. Yeah it was good, but in my opinion for Erasure I found it to be pretty average, certainly not up to par with some of their older work. The mixes on here are nothing to ride home about. The LMC Extended Club Mix is a rather generic Euro Hi-NRG mix. The "Manhattan Clique" mix is the most straight-ahead house mix of the bunch but its BPM is a bit too slow to mix in with most dance music of 2005. And Pete Heller's Phela Mix is a pretty run of the mill tribal outing - certainly not Pete's most exceptional work.

"Mr. Gribber And His Amazing Cat" is the coolest song title of the year, but then it turns out to be an instrumental track?! What a waste!

I'm not trying to take anything away from Erasure and all their phenomenal work. But I was hoping for a lot more out of this track.

This is the latest classic by Andy Bell & Vince Clarke better known as Erasure. This song did very well in Europe and now it comes to the US via a great cd single. This maxi cd recently hit number one on the Dance Sales Chart on Billboard and that was the first time since 1988's "Chains Of Love". The song seems likely to also reach number one on the Club Play chart as well and that hasn't happened to Erasure since 1987's "Victim Of Love" their only number one so far. So what is making the song so successful is the fact that it classic Erasure-- pop /dance music with real lyrics. Following Blondie and Duran Duran as classic acts with great new singles-- "Breathe" will also be likely ignored by top 40 radio as well like those two were. The main reason for the cd single are the 3 remixes here. They are very well done --especially the Manhattan Clique remix. That is the best mix of the song.

1- Breathe ( Radio Mix) 3:45

2- Breathe ( Album Mix) 3:50

3- Gone Crazy (Bonus track) 3:24

4- Mr. Gribber And His Amazing Cat (Bonus track) 2:43

5- Breathe (Acoustic Version) 3:58

6- Breathe (Pete Heler's Pheta Mix) 7:13--- very electro inspired mix.

7- Breathe (LMC Extended Mix) 6:12--- the most classic sounding Erasure mix on the cd single. Very NRG/Euro club mix.

8- Breathe (When Andy Bell Met Manhattan Clique Extended Mix) 7:19--- beautiful remix. Most normal house mix with bits of trance thrown in. A+++++ remix.

BUY!!!!!

LOVE IT! they've been my #1 since '84, and they've not lost any charm! The mixes are cool, and the accoustic is as beautiful as ever... Thank you, erasure, for continuing to surround me with your sound! I absolutely love Andy's suit in the video, too! BRILLIANT!