the centre of the heart is a suburb to the brain

Erasure have just announced the details of "When I Start To (Break It All Down)", the lead single from their forthcoming, fourteenth longplayer, "Tomorrow's World". The single sleeve, like the album cover, has been designed by Tom Hingston and uses another sculpture by artist Kate MacDowell.

I must admit that I have always enjoyed the continuity of the artwork for Erasure's singles and album campaigns. Much like Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys, Vince and Andy put a lot of loving care into the visuals of their packaging.

The single will be available on CD and as a download on September 26. Additionally,
"When I Start To (Break It All Down)" will be available as a single track download a full month ahead of the extended configurations.

The full, official tracklisting for the single include the following:

1. When I Start To (Break It All Down) (Single Mix)
2. Tomorrow's World
3. When I Start To (Break It All Down) (Steve Smart & Westfunk Main Room Mix)
4. When I Start To (Break It All Down) (Kris Menace Remix)
5. When I Start To (Break It All Down) (Little Loud Remix)

"Tomorrow's World" is a cover of the theme music from the UK TV series of the same which inspired the album title.

And as if that wasn't enough good news for Erasure fans, the tracklisting for the deluxe edition of "Tomorrow's World" has been announced. The first disc will feature the album in its entirety. The second disc will feature exclusive mixes, a bonus track and demos from the album recording sessions. The tracklisting for the bonus disc will include the following tasty nuggets:

1. I Lose Myself (Extended "No Self Control" Mix)
2. Give Me Life [bonus track not available elsewhere]
3. Fill Us With Fire (Extended "Fired Up" Mix)
4. When I Start To (Break It All Down) (Frankmusik Remix)
5. Clash (demo version of "I Lose Myself")
6. Big Song (demo version of "Fill Us With Fire")
7. Major 7th (demo version of "Be With You")
8. Save Me (demo version of "You've Got To Save Me Right Now")

The mixes of "I Lose Myself" and "Fill Us With Fire" were produced by Erasure mainstay, Gareth Jones. "Tomorrow's World" is scheduled to hit the "shops" on October 3.

never turn your back on Mother Earth

Hard on the heels of the deluxe editions of their first two elpees, "Wonderland" and "The Circus", Erasure announce the release of their forthcoming, fourteenth longplayer, "Tomorrow’s World".

The album sleeve, another artistic triumph for the duo, retools the band's logo once again. The cover design is by Tom Hingston who has done magnificent work for artists like Massive Attack, Garbage, The Chemical Brothers and Robbie Williams among many others. It also incorporates sculptures made by Kate MacDowell. It's very pastel. No? Hearts flowers and butterflies, ahoy! Thankfully, no unicorns.

The album, the band’s first in more than four years, is produced by Frankmusik (a.k.a. Vincent Frank) and mixed by Rob Orton. We're still a big fan of Frankmusik's debut longplayer, "Complete Me", from 2009. Even though his new single, "Do It In The AM" is complete shit and giant step down from his pop glory, I'm really looking forward to his contribution to Vince and Andy's electronic odes to love. The first single plucked from it will be “When I Start To (Break It All Down)”.

The standard album features nine songs, but the deluxe edition will come with a bonus disc featuring remixes, demos and a bonus track. The full, official tracklisting for "Tomorrow's World", which is scheduled to be released on October 4, features the following tracks.

1. Be With You
2. Fill Us With Fire
3. What Will I Say When You’re Gone?
4. You’ve Got To Save Me Right Now
5. A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot
6. When I Start To (Break It All Down)
7. I Lose Myself
8. Then I Go Twisting
9. Just When I Thought It Was Ending

one of the living

Just when the world thought Frankmusik was going to be brushed under the rug as having one terrific longplayer, Vincent Frank returns under his superstar moniker with a new EP.

"Long Live Frankmusik" is a four track taster with at least two of its songs being earmarked for inclusion on his forthcoming, sophomore elpee, "Do It In The AM". Terrible title.

The EP includes two ballads - "Hurt You Again" and "Warrior" - which sorta made me think he was getting all slushy and syrupy on our collective asses. The latter of the two is a distinct treasure. When he's in downtempo mode, Frankmusik has a deft hand with layers and simplicity which go completely against the grain of his marketing brief as a techno electro wizzard.

"Warrior" is the better of the two with a delicately played piano which underscores Vincent's confident, emotive vocal. In all honesty, it's reminiscent of "Hide And Seek" era Howard Jones.



I would have preferred "Warrior" as the lead promotional push for Frankmusik's return, but I completely understand going with "The Fear Inside". It's a slab of dark anxiety laid over an electro production straight out of 1982. Sounds like someone has been listening to plenty of Arthur Baker records.



It also looks like someone's enjoying his move to Los Angeles. The video is more Hollywood gloss and less on the quirky Brit tip.

Then there is the uplifting, fizzy joy of "Our Discovery (Tribute To Daft Punk)" which cheekily references "One More Time" by Daft Punk. Glad to see he kept he isn't taking himself too seriously.



Final slot on the EP is home to "Hate Your Love", which features the middling talents of Digiraatii with whom I am not familiar. It's a bit of mess. Nothing memorable. Completely throwaway. Three outta four ain't bad.

If this all makes you tingle inside, then you'll be happy to know you can download the EP for free on Frankmusik's official website! It's a snip!

Let's hope he can get more of a foothold this time around. He might have what it takes to be the male version of Robyn.

completely frank

It has been hellaciously busy for me in recent weeks between studio productions, shows, meetings and travel to the City Of Angels. As of this writing, I'm still in the sunny climes of California. However, this is the first time I've had a chance to review anything. And the labels' release schedules through autumn assure there will be plenty for me to blather on about between now and when we hang the Christmas lights.

As far as electropop albums go, "Complete Me" by Frankmusik is surely one of the highlights of 2009. The fervor seems to have died down a bit. But I find myself returning to this album regardless of the column inches dedicated to the likes of LaRoux and Little Boots. It has more layers. It has a story cycle. More meat on the bones. It's not just a collection of songs threaded together by shiny production. I know I'm a little late to the party on reviewing it. Sometimes I believe it's better to live with an album and get deep with it before extolling its virtues.

"Complete Me" is definitely inspired by the keyboard heavy, synth icons that lit the airwaves on fire back in the 80s. Frankmusik takes these touchstones and puts a contemporary spin on them. Barely out of diapers when the DX7 and the Fairlight were essential elements of the pop music soundscape, Vincent Frank didn't come into his own as a songwriter until he wrestled control of his mother's record collection. Later, starting his music career as an in demand human beatbox, Frankmusik was born and a smattering of independent releases followed.

Once in the clutches of Island, his current label, Frankmusik began the usual battery of interviews, photo shoots and live PAs which is typical of moving an artist of his calibre out of the underground.

Testing the waters at the back end of last year, "3 Little Words" was released as the track that would tickle the tastemakers and get the pop pundits drooling. A colorful video for the song, with a little nod toward the Tom Hanks movie, "Big", began to appear to critical acclaim.



The influences are obvious - Howard Jones, Scritti Politti, Nik Kershaw. Play "3 Little Words" and then take a look and listen to "You Know I Love You...Don't You?" by HoJo.



Most of "Complete Me" follows along similar synth laden lines with a strong, singability factor. Each tune is cleverly crafted around the themes of broken hearts and love lost. It's no secret that the songs are earmarked for a certain someone.

The album starts off with the manic, lead track, "In Step", followed by the funky, second single, "Better Of As Two" which barrels along a similar high speed electronic heat.

Third single, "Confusion Girl", is another well written, pop gem with a typically tuneful chorus with shades of Erasure poking through the lovely, uncluttered arrangement. Like many of the songs on "Complete Me", it's an economic affair clocking in a just under three minutes. Oddly, three singles in, the album only managed to peak at #13 a few weeks back. Hopefully, the next single, whatever it ends up being, will push the album forward. Unfortunately, it's unlikely after such a poor performance in the eyes of the greedy music machine.



Darkness descends as understanding turns to jealousy in the sinister sounding "Gotta Boyfriend?" with ominous undertones driven by an urgent, insistent synth bass throughout.

It's clear the album follows the ark of a relationship. As always, jealousy is followed by apologies and forgiveness. It's an age old story and works to great effect as "Your Boy" follows "Gotta Boyfriend?", the former led by tender piano figures and a mournful vocal performance.

The clattering production of "When You're Around", with its verses interpolating the melody from The Stranglers' #2 UK hit from 1981, "Golden Brown", is probably the least inspired track on the album but still manages to fit nicely within the context of the album.

Sidebar... "Golden Brown" was held out of the top spot by "Town Called Malice" by The Jam. That certainly underscores how much the pantheon of pop has crumbled over the last decade or so. At some point, I will get on my soapbox about the decline of the music biz. I have to be in the right frame of mind to put my thoughts and opinions together on the topic, however flawed and unpopular they might be.

Back to Frankmusik. After three singles, if the label decides to invest in a fourth from the album, it should be the jaunty "Wonder Woman", a precautionary tale about overachievers of the female persuasion and the time they should take to pamper themselves. It's another terrific, HoJo inspired number with further flashes of Erasure in its rubbery bass lines.

On the album's title track, the tempo is dialed down a bit for another economical tune which floats in at under three minutes. It builds from a delicate piano intro into a powerful and impassioned chorus. Just when you think Frankmusik can't sing any higher, he showcases his falsetto's falsetto during the song's final crescendo. It's moments like these where the listener can truly feel the inspiration and devastation that can be experienced within the scope of a relationship.

One of the key highlights of "Complete Me" is "Vacant Heart", a song which cleverly incorporates a sample of "Madame Butterfly (Un Bel Di Vedremo)", a #13 UK hit in 1984 by pop impresario, Malcolm McLaren.

"Vacant Heart" should be the single that transitions the album from being a curio treasured by a few dedicated fans to a full-on, pop trailblazer embraced by a broader, more mainstream audience.

More retro influences abound on "Complete Me" with "Time Will Tell", a seriously catchy, herky jerky tune propelled by a sample of the rhythm track from "Pump Up The Volume", a groundbreaking, #1 smash from 1987 by M/A/R/R/S. The song gallops over the sample nicely without ever relying on it or production trickery for its appeal. Certainly another in a strong clutch of single contenders.

The hypnotic, "Done Done" is probably one of the most electro sounding tracks on the album and revisits the darker edges of the relationship chronicled within its sonic story. It gives way to the yearning and haunting "Run Away From Trouble" before slipping into the simplicity of "Olivia", a stripped down, piano ballad. It's a bonus track which, apparently, is an ode to a former flame and is a touching coda to the album.

Overall, Franmusik's debut is stacked to the rafters with towering, pop moments full of bright, shiny optimism tempered with the kind of melancholy that makes the best three minute soap operas. Definitely an album to add to your discerning music collection.

By the way, the British produce the most exciting ads for the pop music they're peddling. I'd run to the nearest shop or computer, whichever flavor you favor, if I saw the commercial for "Complete Me".

art vs. commerce

Over the last few months, I have had casual conversations with various artists - some you know and others you might not have heard of. Most of those discussion usually wound their way toward the artist's dissatisfaction with their label and its staff. It's a complaint as old as time itself. One of the things that sticks in their collective craws is the lack of attention paid to their artistic vision, especially when it comes down to the subject of cover art.

I've always been a sucker for great packaging and inspired artwork. With the advent of digital files and the disappearance of CDs and, before them, vinyl LPs, most creative departments at the labels slap together any old designs. And I use that term loosely.

So let's compare and contrast. Shall we?

Here is the original cover art for the album, "Complete Me", by Frankmusik.



Gorgeous! Really interesting, deep and layered. A work of art, if you will. This was the visual theme for the album and its attendant singles.

However, after several singles didn't exactly light the UK charts on fire, Island, the label to which Frankmusik is signed, decided this would be a better choice for the album sleeve.



Dull. Boring. Average. But hey! It's got a shot of his face on it. People will make the connection. Right? He doesn't look like a happy kitten.

Here's the proposed cover artwork for Annie's new album, "Don't Stop", which isn't terribly new since it has been well over a year since many of the songs on it originally appeared on an advance sampler.



Stunning! Who doesn't love a bit of flash and some light trickery? This release of this album has been wrestled away from the corporate hands of a major label and lovingly placed back in the domain of the artist.

The first single from the album, "I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me", was a pop masterpiece. Then artistic differences with Island, the label to which she was signed, prevented any further singles from being released and Annie, subsequently, parted ways with the company.

Here's the sleeve for the album as it was intended to be released on Island toward the end of 2008.

Yawn! Nothing that screams "star quality". Rather average. I bet the designer thought the off center, spilt image was edgy. Note to artists, especially those signed to Island. Stick to your guns on the artwork tip.

Don't get me wrong. Sometimes artists don't have their best intentions in mind. At that point, an intervention is necessary. But it's important the artwork somehow convey the mood, feeling and emotion of the music contained within.

the truth and beauty about new pop prospects

Some of the best, new, pop music stars start out with less than stellar chart performances. Sometimes their success takes a more circuitous route than they would like or expect. Pop history is sprinkled with acts that sputtered out of the gate only to go on to have a glorious, sparkling career.

This year, I've been keeping tabs on Frankmusik and Paloma Faith, two artists who have piqued my interest for being slightly different than the average, torchbearers in the pop parade. For every La Roux and Little Boots that busts out of the gate, there are others that don't catch fire as quickly no matter how much routing they get from the sidelines or money gets thrown into their promotion. But that doesn't mean it's all over for them.

So far, two singles have preceded Frankmusik's major label debut, "Complete Me". The funky, "Better Off As Two" was the first, official single peaking at a lackluster #26.



Before that single, the manic "3 Little Words", replete with "Big" inspired video, surfaced to the delight of many fans.

This week, second single, "Confusion Girl", enters the UK singles chart at a rather disappointing #29.

With a support slot on Pet Shop Boys' current UK shows, Frankmusik certainly has the right profile and critical acclaim that would seem to guarantee a splashy debut and numerous hit singles. However, it doesn't seem like the plan is working as effectively as it could.

Frankmusik walks a fine line between quirky, electronic boffin and your average, pop star next door. It's a delicate balance in the fickle world of pop music which could easily tip in his favor. His songs are very much melody driven with the production more window dressing than . You can hear the lineage straight down from 80s pioneers Nik Kershaw and Howard Jones without him ever sounding like he's aping them.

"Complete Me", his forthcoming longplayer, is due to drop on August 3.

Another tremendous talent from the United Kingdom is Paloma Faith. Her debut single, "Stone Cold Sober", reached #17 this past June.



I like the imagery in the Sophie Muller directed vid. Rich reds, bolts of velvet and trowels of white foundation seem to be her trademark.

Paloma, without fail, gets tagged with Amy Winehouse comparisons. Labels are so desperate to duplicate the heartbroken, ciggies and booze success of "Back To Black" that they seem to forget that it's next to impossible to capture lightning in a bottle particularly when you're chasing after it.

Duffy, who has a sniff of late 60s, retro cool of the Lulu variety about her, approached success by being the cute, approachable yet ever-so-slightly aloof, blond, pub songstress. You know, the one from your graduating class that had a great voice given the appropriate material. Her debut, "Rockferry", was all black and white, scruffy sophistication. But she had solid songs to back up the voice.

"Mercy", clearly a signature song if there ever was one for a debut artist, had a bit of 007 urgency and sensuality about it that allowed her to stand out in a crowded field of Winehouse wannabes. In an attempt to inject a bit of rocket fuel into her career, Duffy's shark jump may have been her recent, bicycle riding, Coke commercial which put her on the path of attention grabbing, opportunist rather than soul stirring chanteuse.

Back to Paloma for a moment. Her debut single, the stroppy, strident, bluesy, horn fueled "Stone Cold Sober", has a little more meat around its ribs than most of the competition. Rather than present herself to the public as a bland, blonde songstress in the uninspiring, Pixie Lott vein, she has carefully constructed her style by combining her husky, vocal delivery and art deco, film star imagery with a beguiling mixture of equal parts vixen, siren, torch singer and fiery testimonial.

"Stone Cold Sober" bodes well for her forthcoming, thought provoking, debut album, the tantalizingly titled "Do You Want Truth Or Something Beautiful?" Oooooh! That's SO 2009.