ERASURE
"Storm Chaser"
Mute U.S. (9369-2)
Release Date: October 2, 2007

This EP is the third release from Erasure’s Light at the End of the World era. This nine-track disc includes three mixes of “Storm in a Teacup,” two mixes of “Sucker for Love,” one mix of “Golden Heart,” one mix of “When a Lover Leaves You,” one mix of “Glass Angel,” and “Early Bird” (a duet with Cyndi Lauper).

First, I have to question the wisdom of choosing to promote “Storm in a Teacup” as the single. Personally, it sounds more like an album track than it does a single. There’s really no hook or anything catchy to help it stick in the listener’s mind. Not to say that it’s a bad song, but it just isn’t a single. There is an extended mix of this song included on the single as well, which adds roughly an additional two minutes in length; however, the additional length does nothing to really improve the song. The “Koishii & Hush Club Mix” is the best mix of the three, and it’s one I could easily hear in the dance clubs. Personally, I would have liked to have seen a radio edit of this mix be made and issued as the single version... the beat is just incredibly catchy!

When I heard the extended mix of “Sucker for Love,” I thought that perhaps this song would have been better suited as the song being promoted as the single. This song has more of a “catchy” quality to it. However, I have to say that this mix is a little on the long side, and that the last minute or so is rather redundant. The “DJ Manolo Remix” is another mix on this disc that I could easily hear being played in the dance clubs. However, this mix is rather long (it’s about nine-and-a-half minutes in length). It’s not a bad mix, but the length is a bit of a turnoff for someone just casually listening to the EP at home. Perhaps this version of the mix could have been issued to the dance clubs, and an edit of it could have been made to include on this commercial CD pressing.

The remix of “Glass Angel” that was put on here to close the EP just wasn’t very interesting. It was boring, and there was nothing in it to catch the listener’s attention; it’s easy for the listener to simply ignore that it’s even playing. I ended up wondering why it was included on the disc, and I especially wondered why they made it the track to close the disc.

I was actually rather disappointed in “Early Bird.” I didn’t think Andy Bell’s and Cyndi Lauper’s voices really complemented each other. Also I thought the music track sounded rather awkward against their vocal delivery.

Overall, I have to say I was rather disappointed in this EP, especially after they released “Sunday Girl” (which I thought was a rather strong single). If you are an everything collector or a track collector of Erasure, I would recommend picking this up simply to help complete your collection. For a casual Erasure fan, however, I’m not entirely sure I could really recommend this EP to them.

(reviewed by Lesley Muir Aeschliman on November 8, 2007)