Erasure’s self-titled album is for many listeners the big dividing point, where the band stepped away from their emphasis on short, punchy pop songs to something almost approaching prog rock pop — less surprising than it might seem given Vince Clarke’s well known fondness for older synthesizers, for a start. But that in turn makes Erasure something of a cult favorite, with both Clarke and Andy Bell testing their creative boundaries in often intriguing ways, not least of which is including Mute labelmate Diamanda Galas on “Rock Me Gently” and “Angel.”

– Ned Raggett