Single Selection: Simon Curtis ~ Starlight (+ Bright Light x2 & Erasure)

It's still Very. Cold. Indeed. outside, so i am bundled up indoors in layers of clothes, a snuggie, a decent book and reruns of the always impeccable and hilarious Gavin & Stacey on the tv. It would take something very amazing indeed to lure (such a filthy word, i love it. "Lure") me off the couch today and young Simon Curtis (plus a few talented others) has done just that by unveiling an unreleased track (I think) from the RA sessions. Pip pip and jolly hockeysticks I say. So before the internet goes mental over the new Madonna single, take a breath and check out these stunning pop moments...

Simon Curtis ~ Starlight:

Just when you think the RA campaign had run it's course, a track from the vaults appears online that shines with an intense yearning & gives an interesting musical counterpoint to the scintillating beats & thunderous rage of the aforementioned album. Just as Simon once said that Put Your Makeup On would have given Alter Boy a softer edge, Starlight would act as a poignant closing song on RA. It's essentially Simon's vocal and some incredibly gorgeous piano as lyrically he recalls a relationship when it was full of hope and wonder. The whole piece is just a stunning work of beauty. Simon's vocal is absolutely crystalline, imbued with just the right amount of emotion to bring the track alive; the piano chords crash around him but never overpower the song - merely act as it's rudder with Simon the able captain; the layered vocals in the chorus adds depth and resonance to not only the performance but also the weight of the lyrics - in short, it's captivating from start to finish which is what great music should be (in that way, it makes me yearn for a full release of his other big ballad moment, Another Heartache). Added to this, there are definite hints of 2 of my very favourite Erasure songs in there - both Am I Right with it's stark, melancholic reminiscing & the heavenly You Surround Me (particularly when Simon sings starlight, starbright in broken falsetto) with its tales of a giddy love that Simon can't help but evoke memories of as he sings. A "special edition" of RA can easily be made, including blistering Michelle, ace of basetastic Wicked Baby and of course, Starlight. But in the context of an album or on it's own, it really is one of the most painfully exquisite musical moments so far in 2012. Now can someone give Simon a hug please?!

If you like this, try these:

• Bright Lightx2 ~ Disco Moment (Blueprints EP version): My favourite song of 2011 has been completely reworked for a US only (so far) EP - and Mr BLBL himself takes the anguish & heartache of the "teardrops on the disco floor" original to devastating new levels. Built around a fragile, delicate piano riff, Rod gives an impassioned vocal which serves to give the song an increased sense of melancholy and brutal finality, the final inevitable nail in the coffin of a relationship. The addition of Sound of Arrows on vocals produces not only some dreamy harmonies, but gives the song a different storytelling angle that could either be the other side of the relationship feeling the same way, or indeed other people in the club sharing that tragic, heartbreaking disco moment with Rod. In short, it's a genius performance and genuinely moving...
• Erasure ~ What Will I Say When You're Gone: Though I definitely feel they could have at least two more stomping uptempto electro-pop tracks from their album (probably I Lose Myself & Fill Us With Fire), this ballad from their latest album Tomorrow's World fits in perfectly with the theme of this post - and is one of my fave tracks from the aforementioned opus. The song sees Andy forsee the end of a relationship, while a sparse percussive beat sets the tone of the song. It's not a ballad in a traditional sense, more an electro-ballad (think Girls Aloud Untouchable) - a sad love song, set to a more uptempo instrumental. The thought provoking lyrics are reflective and earnest in delivery & as I've mentioned before, Andy Bell does doom & inevitable gloom oh so well...