Nightbird

I have loved Erasure since the 80's and they have always been my favorite group. I adored their 80's pop songs in my 20's, then in my 30's I adored their slower more soulful albums: Chorus, I Say I Say I Say and Erasure. Now I am turning 40 and just got Nightbird last week and I love it too. It took a week to grow on me. My first impression was it was too upbeat and full of too many love songs, but after listening to it for a full week, I really love this album! My favorite songs are song #3 and #5. There is something inspiring about Erasure's music. I am not religious, and do not know if they are, but their songs touch my soul like no other songs can. Erasure's music is healing, loving, relaxing and moving. This album is very upbeat and will have you dancing. Still it is also deeply moving and touching. Buy Nightbird, Erasure fans will not be dissapointed.

Okay, the first thing that I'll admit here is that I'm a relatively "young" Erasure fan - I'm 23, and this is only the third album I've bought by them, although I am familiar with many of their older, 80's hits from hearing them on the radio. I first got into them when I was twelve, and I Say I Say I Say had just been released. I was just completely stunned by that album - loved it, lived it, listened to it every single day. Once Cowboy came out in 1997, I bought that next, and liked it, though at the time, I felt it was inferior to I Say. Either way, I was a teenage girl that thought Erasure were pretty awesome. Then I sort of forgot about Erasure for a few years, as I entered my late teens and twenties, and only recently got back into them, wanting to listen to some upbeat tunes at work. I dug out my old CD's, completely rediscovered the old wonderful songs with my now-adult ears, and decided to check out Nightbird. This album is not as upbeat as some of their previous ones, but I think that's why I like it so much. The songs are mellow and absolutely beautiful. Andy Bell's voice is otherworldly, and time hasn't weathered it very much at all in the last ten years (which is amazing to me.) I would have to agree with another reviewer who stated that Andy Bell is one of the best male vocalists around today (I'm paraphrasing, of course.) His voice is so clear, so smooth and elegantly nuanced that you cannot help but be transfixed by the songs on this album. My particular favorite songs on Nightbird are "Here I Go Impossible Again," for the interesting song structure and the lyrics - while simple - convey emotions that I'm sure we've all felt towards a lover at some point in our lives. The vocals during the very simple chorus of "Breathe" are nothing short of stunning, and the song itself is very pretty and relaxing. I'm probably sounding like a broken record by now with these descriptions, but I can't help it! There aren't many other words you can use to describe Erasure's music other than "beautiful," "stunning" and other such adjectives. My other favorites on the album include the opening track "No Doubt" and "Because Our Love Is Real," for many of the same reasons I've listed above. Which isn't to say that the songs sound the same, but just that they're all equally pretty and uplifting in some way. I'm afraid I've gotten a bit long-winded with this review, so I'll summarize now and then stop typing! In short, whether you've been an Erasure fan forever or if you're just a fan of pretty, soaring pop songs, this album is for you :)

This is without doubt Erasure's best CD in a very long time. I would say the songs on this album as a whole are the best since the days of Wild! or The Innocents. Right from the beginning you can sense that this is a very introspective and thoughtful album - full of songs that seem more reflective than usual for your typical Erasure album. It's quite apparent that Andy Bell's battle with HIV plays into some of the songs. Simply speaking, the songs on this album are far better than those on Loveboat and Cowboy (and even I Say I Say I Say). Stuff like "Here I Go Impossible Again" and "Breathe" are extremely catch and brings back memories of Erasure at their peak in the late 80's/early 90's. The songs sound very similar to their older stuff like "Always", but that isn't a bad thing! As a new wave fan, I am glad that Erasure is back on a strong note. It's painful to see Andy go through so much with his struggles with HIV, but I am glad that at least he's able to handle it with grace and give the fans a very good, reflective album to share.

God this is a guilty pleasure...more so than my Pet Shop Boys, Melody Club or other such albums. With all that aside, though, it's still a very good dance-pop album with a couple problems. Sure it's very cheesy and a guilty pleasure, but the guy sings with true heart and soul (although he's not that likable - I have a very open mind but he's not that good), and the beats are usually fantastic. Sometimes his voice gets a little annoying, but it's generally alright. You can tell these guys listen to the Pet Shop Boys an awful lot. Every song here is "good", though none are great ("Let's Take One More Rocket To The Moon" is arguably great). The lyrics tend to be pretty interesting which definitely helps things a great deal. This is essentially ONLY for dance-pop fans, though, and they will probably love it (though I MUCH prefer the Pet Shop Boys to Erasure). All things aside, however, I would definitely recommend this to dance-pop fans! Highlights include: the entire album!

Need I say more than the title?! After always proclaiming I Say I Say...their GOAT album, with Chorus and Erasure self-title a close second (I loved the experimentalness of Erasure title), NIGHTBIRD has stolen a place in my heart as much as I Say I Say I Say....still growing on me as my 5 & 7 year old kids love it as well...Breathe particularly. A rare musical jem to be treasured......nor do I write reviews but felt the need as I am listening to Light at the End of the World....2-3 Stars max.....not even close to NBird....I agree w a previous reviewer just a rehash and some of it is BAD even....hey a bunch of Depeche albums were awful, as well as U2 - other bands with passion and integrity to keep it up for 20+ years!!! Thats the beauty of life.....

He sido fan de rasure desde sus inicios y este es uno de sus grandes discos. Desde chorros los tenía un poco dejados de lado, solo algún tema aislado llamaba mi atención. Pero este nightbird es de lo mejor que han hecho here I go impossible again o breathe son temazon que se pueden escuchar mil veces sin cansarse, magnifico

A mi papá le encantó el disco porque es su grupo favorito y suena excelente

I recently listened to Nightbird again and realised what a wonderful album it is. It's warm, electronic, soulful and sparkling. It was released in 2005 - almost 20 years ago - but it has aged well and does not sound dated. Erasure has had a very long career and this is one of their best.

近年のErasureのアルバムの中では、個人的に最高傑作だと思います!1曲目のNo Doubtから胸を打たれます!全体的な印象としては、ミドルテンポな曲が多く、おとなしいErasureって感じなのですが、Vince Clarkeが作る曲自体が良いので、気づけば最後まで一気に聴けます。特に久々にヒットしたシングル曲『Breathe』は過去の名曲、A Little RespectやALWAYSに並ぶErasureの名曲の一つだなと思います。

Erasure's Nightbird has to be one of the most romantic albums I have listened to. It is such a joy to contemplate the ups and downs of relationships through musical relationship therapy. LOL Unfortunately, this album is not available in vinyl. A re-release in 180g vinyl would be SWEET!