Day-Glo (Based on a True Story) by Erasure
Waste not, want not
Following 2020's celebrated return to form with The Neon, Erasure (Andy Bell and Vince Clarke) commissioned a remix album (The Neon Remixed) which included 17 remixes from producers like Theo Kottis, Kim Ann Foxman, Gareth Jones and Octo Octa. And a few of those remixes are pretty good. None however are quite as good as the ten remixes on their new album Day-Glo (Based on a True Story), which is, yes, another remix album. But this remix album is slightly different, it's been remixed by Erasure themselves. And these are proper remixes, not just replaced rhythms or extended versions of the singles or an Ambient version.
Ever curious, songwriting maestro and synth-pop sorcerer Clarke started playing around with tracks from The Neon, experimenting with new techniques and pushing things in unexpected directions, before Bell (and Gareth Jones) added vocal parts. While the result is unarguably a brand new album, ghosts of the originals appear throughout, like the "round and around" chorus on Inside Out which came from Shot A Satellite, and vocal snippets on Bop Beat, originally on Hey Now (Think I Got A Feeling). It sounds under-produced, less glossy, more tasteful. It feels like it was made for me. Andy Bell's soulful, almost operatic, voice reminds you it's Erasure but the music pulls you left field, at times sounding like early Royksopp or Bent.
While not a complete departure from their usual bubbly output (it's still packed with exquisite melody), Day-Glo contains no clear-cut singles, which is perversely what makes it work so well as an album. The omission of chart-threatening fare must be intentional; improving the listening experience by avoidng unnecessary distractions, adding longevity to the repeat-listen value. I've had it on repeat well over 20 times and am still loving it.