Erasure return, bigger and brighter than ever, with a spanking new album: Nightbird. Sparkling with odes to space-age romance, it is sure to win them legions of new fans, whilst simultaneously delighting those who appreciated them during the heady, codpiece-wearing days of the '80s.

Dance-pop darling Andy Bell and technical innovator Vince Clarke are convinced that this is their best work yet, and are understandably excited. The album is a heartwarming torrent of electro-pop sweetness, making the listener smile (as opposed to puke, a delicate balance).

Nightbird is thus named because of Bell's insomnia, and it's magical listening to it at night. The album sweeps from one glowing, moonlit track to another. Nothing jolts you out of the dreamy, nocturnal trance thatis invoked from the opening track. And Clarke has definitely got a bit of a Yazoo thing going on...never a bad thing.

"Here I Go Impossible Again" boasts that trademark Erasure sound, but it's been upped a few notches, making it even more twinkling and all-encompassing than before. Emotive lyrics run throughout the album, andsnuggled up next to the hypnotic melodiesthey're sure to have you thinking of someone...

Shining idealism presides over the lyrically heartfelt, romance drenched"Let's Take A Rocket To The Moon". If this doesn't lift you up, nothing will. Who needs self-help books with tracks like this?

"Breathe" is a sweetly sexy, upbeat melody that would turn pop tart Kylie green with envy. This is music to fall in love to. But wait! Before you rush off for a bucket, there's no schmaltz here. The lovestruck lyrics throughout the album are hoisted aloft by clean, shimmering electronica. Beautiful. Likewise "Don't Say You Love Me", released as a single in March, is an OMD inspired stomp that's sure to reawaken the world to whatmadethe pop twosome so special in the first place.

Nightbird is romantic, yes, but it's buoyant with that sense of fun that Erasure have always been known for. Bell and Clarke have clearly settled at a point where they feel comfortable in their skin, and they are at their theatrical best on this album.