(Because I thought a Yazoo vs. Erasure poll would be redundant.)
Me? After much consideration, I’m going with the Mode.
Erasure? Never heard of them.
I love both, so it’s hard to say. They serve different needs. Depeche Mode is for pensive moments, like when it’s rainy outside and you just realized you don’t know what to do with your life. Erasure is for happy and love-hungry moments, when you want to dance and sing out loud. “Together we’ll break these chains of love!!!”
Depeche Mode wins for musical composition and depth. Erasure wins for emotionality and heart.
(I actually think a fairer comparison would be between The Cure and Depeche Mode. Their music and target audience is much more similar.)
Though I loved Erasure first, Depeche Mode is my all-time favorite. Still, when I look at my ipod, these two bands hold the top two slots for “most songs”.
Still, Erasure’s “Chorus”, “I Say I Say I say”, and “The Innocents” along with Depeche Mode’s “Black Celebration”, “Songs of Faith and Devotion”, and “Violator” are among the best albums I own. I love them to death.
“vs.”? They’re complementary not antagonistic.
Violator is one of the best albums ever.
I like them both, so I don’t want to choose. Also both have had Vince Clark as a member - he quit Depeche Mode early on, then joined Yaz (aka Yazoo) with Alison Moyet, then after she quit, he formed Erasure with Andy Bell.
The only Erasure I’ve heard is “Always” from Robot Unicorn Attack. Hence, Erasure.
Haha, I love that song.
I picked Depeche Mode for depth and musical composition, same as another poster above. I have both of them on my player, but Erasure is for when I have to clean the house, I don’t want to and I just need something to get me dancing around and being goofy. Erasure is so much fun, but I have a real emotional connection to the music of Depeche Mode.
Too true. And about 20 seconds after I posted this thread, I was thinking that a more apt comparison would’ve been Erasure v. Pet Shop Boys.
This thread is bringing back memories of a lot of concerts and many bad eyeliner choices.
Ooo! I’ve actually seen both in concert. They were comparable.
I have to lean more toward DM, just because of maybe greater depth. Erasure doesn’t seem to stand up to the test of time for me like a good old DM song will. I hear something from Black Celebration or that live 101 album, Violator, what have you, I’m crankin’ it up to 11. I hear an Erasure song, I might turn it up if I’m somewhere I can dance (like, not in the car), or I might just flip it to see if anyone’s playing DM.
I second the notion that The Cure v. DM would be a more nuanced discussion, as would Erasure v. Pet Shop Boys. Both of the former I associate with my Goth heritage and both of the latter I associate with my fag-hag heritage. The lines in between were very blurry there for a while in the late 80s.
I voted Erasure, as their position as only the fourth or fifth worst band ever beats out DM’s solid ranking as the second-worst band ever.
While I give Erasure a little respect (see what I did there), I have to vote Depeche Mode.
I get the votes for Depeche Mode. Still, I think I’d rather listen to Erasure.
Erasure. At the time I was coming out, a friend introduced me to Erasure, and I spent most of a winter and spring listening to Two-Ring/Touring Circus. That album gave me the strength to not run back into the closet, and I’ll still put on “Hideaway” or “Victim of Love” when I’m having a bad day. Even Erasure’s sad/angry songs are upbeat and danceable.
I’m almost 33 years old, have listened to Erasure for about 22 years now, and this is literally the first time it has ever clicked that the title of that album is a pun. Wow. Thanks.