Lopez Blogs

I'd like to tell you a story. Are you sitting comfortably? Good. Then I shall begin. Many moons ago (it was around the Chorus era so you can work it out for yourself), I had just learnt to drive in Mama's automobile and was very obsessed with the brilliantly, dramatic, theatrical, bonkers pop that was/is Erasure. My vair vair bonne ami at the time, Michelle Gregoire (name Frenchied up to protect the innocent) and I desperately wanted to go and see Erasure play in London, only our parents wouldn't let us. The killjoys. But we bought tickets anyway (ooo rebellious. Take that James Dean) and got second row! Second row for Erasure! This was a big deal at the time because it was in the days before people would get brilliant concert seats and then hawk them for treble the price on e-bay. We decided that we would tell our respective folks that we were sleeping over at each others homes. This was quite avant garde sleepover arrangements for teens in high school, but Michelle's parents clearly were aware of my love of all things manbum and willy, and my parents were just happy that I was showing an interest in girls. So we drove to London in my brand new Ford Fiesta, went to the concert and my god, it opened my eyes. The front few rows were full of (what seemed to me) these amazingly colourful, flamboyant, confident gay people who were lapping up every moment of Erasure. It was a fantastic evening and one that showed me being gay didn't have to be furtive moments with Jason Donovan posters in the bedroom but a world of excitement, sleaze and magnificence. And I've loved Erasure even since...

Andy Bell ~ Non Stop: Which leads me nicely into a review of Andy's second solo album. Andy has had some great moments in his solo career - his duet with KD Lang on Enough is Enough was a corker (i'm still aiming to get Simon Curtis and Adam Tyler to do a modern day take on that :P); and there were some stunning moments on his last album Electric Blue. He has once again created in Non Stop, a set of tunes that reflect a change from the Erasure sound. His voice is more soulful, the songs more club-oriented - it seems that as Andy grows older, he is preoccupied with relationships, truth, honesty, memories, money worries and health. This sounds like the album could be mightily depressing - it's not, because it's juxtapositioned with some soaring melodies, great beats, life affirming lyrics and the clear fact that he just wants to dance, he just wants to fucking dance...

At the heart of it, Non Stop is a club-dance album saturated in electronica and pop-friendly beats, with an overriding nod to the pioneers of the post punk era in the 1980s such as Claudia Brucken and Ladytron. The couple of singles that have already surfaced (Running Out and Will You Be There) are both solid enough tracks (particularly the latter) which are both get-your-hands-up-and-dance-til-you-drop type songs with a persistant groove and fairly memorable choruses. This theme is continued in several songs on the album, including the swirling, throbbing title track and the far more industrial sounding Touch, all about Andy's distaste with the current obsession with celebrity culture and famous for the sake of being famous. The latter in particular is quite intoxicating, and while the dance-club groove produces some solid tunes, it's Touch with it's impassioned delivery and manic production that makes it the more interesting, stand out tune.

It's the moments like this, and those fused with pop genius that create the more thrilling tunes that genuinely make Non Stop a pleasurable experience. Current single Call On Me is a delicious slice of summer dance magic - anthemic chorus, seductive vocal, alluring groove, all underwritten by a lovely disco vibe. It's completely feel good and even references robots, which are obviously very de rigour in pop right now. Say What You Want is equally as pleasing, a devilishly sublime tune where the chorus hooks you instantly - Andy's unfettered vocals are a delight to listen to. However, it's the camptastic DHDQ (Debbie Harry Drag Queen) that is the stand out of the album for me - an ode to the all the drag queens who imitate but never quite reach the giddy heights of glamour and amazosity of the Blondie lead singer. It's a tip of the hat to the more bonkers pop that Erasure do, and one of my favourite Andy Bell moments in a long time. It's gleeful, witty, joyous and positively brilliant.

So all in all, a solid club-dance album with some genuinely soaring pop majesty mixed in for good measure. Bonza!