album // I Say I Say I Say
Erasure's 1994 album found Andy Bell
and Vince Clarke getting warm and tender. Compared to the
previous album, Chorus, which had a grit to its analogue
construction, the oddly named I Say I Say I Say - whose electronic
backdrops were again created entirely using retro synths - has a
serene, enveloping tone. Andy's lyrics too veer toward the affectionate
and romantic. I like to think of this as Erasure's album of love
songs, rightly or wrongly, eschewing some of the more wordly-wise
themes of the previous albums.
Curiously, this is also the Erasure album I have
listened to the least. I put this down to the limited edition CD
that I bought - a beautifully-designed 12" box with a pop-up
fairytale castle with the CD itself intended to look like a shimmering
lake at the foot of the castle, everything swathed in shades of
blue from a gibbous moon. Great idea, but it meant that this got
stuck in a box with my vinyl for safekeeping, rather than being
accessibly on the shelf with my other CDs. 'Fairytale' is not a
bad description for this album, as producer Martyn Ware (ex-Human
League and Heaven 17 and future partner of Vince for two experimental
ambient albums) wraps a dream-like, s-word atmosphere around many
of the songs, particulary those featuring St. Patrick's Cathedral
choir ('So The Story Goes' and 'Miracle'). I Say I Say I Say
(any clues for the ill-fitting name?) yielded three singles - the
gorgeous 'Always', the chart success of which Erasure would not
match until 2005, 'Run To The Sun' and 'I Love Saturday' - but sadly
marked the start of a long period of poor singles success for the
duo.
'Take Me Back' has a beatiful, extended introduction,
which unfolds into a multitude of cascading melodies, Andy delivering
a strident, impassioned vocal, wishing to return to the safety of
his childhood. There is a brief section where the layers are sloughed
off, leaving an intricate drum pattern built of springy, metallic
synth sounds and what can only be described as a distorted attempt
to replicate vinyl scratching using a synth. 'Man In The Moon' runs
in waltz time and includes some almost classical keyboard work (albeit
an elastic synth rather than piano or harpsichord) and a melody
played on a flute-esque synth, while Andy delivers a cosy, romantic
lyric. The track concludes with Andy singing solo over what sounds
suspiciously like the tinkly opening bars of the Velvet Underground's
'Sunday Morning', and overall this track has a quirkily similar,
enveloping sound. 'So The Story Goes' is another waltz, and the
first to feature the choir. Andy's vocal is full and theatrical,
while Vince offers a deep bassline similar to Chorus' 'Turns The
Love To Anger' and flutters of synth arpeggios. Andy delivers a
solo monologue at the end of the song, while the choir achieve an
atmospheric dischord that is as much mysterious as it is chilling.
'All Through The Years' has a country twang to it,
and plenty of sterling synth work from Vince. Its autumnal imagery
and warm tones mark this out as one of the best songs on the album,
Andy bathing the track with mystery and misery with the addition
of some beautiful backing vocals. 'Blues Away' is also one of the
outstanding tracks here, a mellow soulful tune with sparse synths
and a vocal from Andy delivered in a difficult falsetto while his
own backing vocals cover all the mid- and low-range harmonies -
he single-handedly (single-voicedly?) covers the full range without
any signs of difficulty, and rightly so Vince takes a back seat
on this song, although there is another great midsection that finds
shards of electronics pealing off in random directions over a detuned
beat.
'Miracle' is simultaneously inspiring and moving,
a beatifully simple electropop track blessed by a harmony-filled
chorus where Andy is ably aided by the St. Patrick's choir. 'We'll
be going home / Where the passion finds the perfect love' runs
the chorus, sung with a melody similar to The Cranberries' 'Dreams'.
Closing track, 'Because You're So Sweet' is a sugary sweet ballad
with some very meditative synthwork from Vince and an innocence
and naivety that is both brave as it is beguiling.
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