Where Are They Now: Erasure

Believe it or not, but only months after wrapping up their "Nightbird" tour, Erasure is already working on two new albums. The synth-pop duo plans to release an acoustic compilation album in April and is thinking about new material for a brand-new disc after that. In an interview with fans, Vince Clarke said, "We are thinking of making a more dance orientated record, as electronic sounding as possible (. . .)  I'm hoping to use a combination of both analog and soft-synth."

In the meantime, Andy Bell is still promoting his solo disc. A little birdie told Arjan that "Electric Blue" will likely be Bell's next single that is slated for release in February.

Erasure's acoustic album "Union Street" will be released on April 3, 2006 in Europe. You can find a tracklisting here. The record is named after the street in Brooklyn, NY where Clarke worked on "Nightbird." "We just felt there were songs on our albums that had been missed as songs," says Clarke in a press statement.  "It was great going back through those songs, some of which I hadn't listened to properly since we made them - suddenly you heard some of the naivety that was in there in the first place."

"The idea," says Bell, was "to show the songs in a different light, and show that they could work on whatever instrument, synthesisers or guitars. It makes such a different singing with acoustic instruments - there's more space, it seems. When you're using electronics they soak up part of the voice. Whereas [with] strings, the voice seems to vibrate off of them."

Also, look out for the forthcoming Erasure "Live In Cologne" DVD that was filmed on the band's tour earlier this year. The DVD includes many of the singles from their latest album "Nightbird," plus live favorites such as "A Little Respect" and "Oh L'Amour." Watch two brief clips from the new Erasure DVD:

Watch Erasure "I Bet You're Mad At Me" [live]
Watch Erasure "Rapture" [live]