* 1/2 ERASURE “Wild!” <i> Sire</i>

British teen dance throbs Erasure made it big in America with such electro dance hits as “A Little Respect” and “Chains of Love.” The group’s two members looked good and the music was little more than another copy of the syrupy synth piddlings of Duran Duran and Depeche Mode (Erasure music man Vince Clarke was a Mode founder), but apparently it was plenty for their fans.

On this latest effort Erasure downplays the giddy dance pop directions of their previous work and heads off in a more introspective vein, pulling down the tempo and waxing a bit more melancholy. For all the grand intentions of the more serious slant, the arrangements are simplistic and indulgent. Add some truly retarded lyrics and what we get is plain-wrap pop with fancy packaging.