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ERASURE go acoustic? It sounds like the set-up for some dreadful smug musicians' joke - because even after 21 years and 14 million albums sold, the stench of suspicion hangs around Britain's premier synth duo, as if crafting exquisite electro-pop was somehow less of an achievement than strangling a six-string. But, as anyone who's ever seen Vince Clarke and Andy Bell live will testify, there's always been an acoustic-guitar element to their sound, and here they've simply brought it to the fore.
With the help of producer and guitarist Steve Walsh, the boys have taken 11 of their old songs and re-cast them with strums, slides and string sections. It's unusual and interesting, and there are moments of captivating sweetness, but the choice of material is disappointing. It's all slower, lesser-known album balladry, which certainly lends itself to the treatment (especially in the case of Stay With Me and Spiralling) but seems like the easy option: wouldn't it have been more fun to bring us the hits?
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