Week of Depeche Mode

This week has been a very 80's week for me. So it makes a lot of sense for this week to do a 80's band. Not just any 80's band but a legendary one. So this week I am going to review Depeche Mode's new album Delta Machine.

     Depeche Mode were officially formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. However they have been dated as starting to form as early as 1977. Vince Clarke and Andy Fletcher formed a Cure influenced band called No Romance. In 1979 Marlow, Gore and and a friend formed a band called the French Look. Soon after a band called Composition of Sound started and after adding Dave Gahan to the mix  Depeche Mode was born. The band made a demo tape and instead of mailing it in they would walk it from studio in person. This started a bidding war between record labels, leading to their debut album. Shortly after making this album Clarke left and Wilder replaced him and helped the group write some of its most famous music up until 1995. In their earlier years they only had success in Europe but this changed on the arrival of their forth album Some Great Reward giving them the song "People Are People" which was used in the 1984 Olympics. The next two albums changed their sound and they didn't really attract any more attention until Violator came out in 1990. This album brought the mega hit "Personal Jesus" with it and changed the band forever. It got them their first big hit in the US which still remains their biggest hit. This also got a them a sold out stadium tour of the US including places like Giants stadium. After this next album Wilder left and they became interested in the growing grunge scene in music. The following album Songs of Faith and Devotion debuted at number 1 in both the UK and US only the 6th British band to do this. Right after this album singer Dave Gahan's heroin problems became a huge issue to himself and the band stalling the follow up and putting him in rehab. The next three albums focused more on minimalism, while Sounds of the Universe felt like more a return to form for the band. That leads us to now or Delta Machine.

     Before we dive into the album lets take a real look at what this band has done in their career. So get ready to take a trip back to the 80's. So get your worst haircuts, most heinous fashion sense, your synthesizers, and don't forget your cocaine. The 80's sure loved their cocaine. Depeche Mode have 13 studio albums and a career that spans more than three decades. Not only that, but this is a band that has managed to stay relevant and in the limelight through the years. How many 80's bands do you know that still put out amazing albums and sell out world tours, not a lot I'm guessing. They have a legacy behind them having been called the most popular electronic band the world have ever known. Another called them one of the greatest British pop bands off all time. High praise but it doesn't end there. The list of famous musicians that this band has touched and inspired is a testament of itself. U2 called them the biggest band that ever was. Brandon Flower of The Killers was quoted saying, "Before I even thought of myself as a musician, I was affected by Depeche Mode as a person." Shakira, Coldplay, The Deftones, Fear Factory, Linkin Park, Franz Ferdinand, Rammstein, Arcade Fire, and Gary Numan are just a few of the musicians who this band has influenced and paved the way for. So if your a fan of any of those bands you might want to thank Depeche Mode. They might not exist without them.
                                                       Depeche Mode-Personal Jesus

      Delta Machine is a lot of things but one thing it isn't is paving new ground. They revisit the very well laid groundwork of past albums, but I hardly think of that as a bad thing. Look at the last time they did that with Sounds of the Universe. That album was awesome and a great return to the Depeche Mode we all knew and loved. The true highlight on this album is singer Dave Gahan's vocals. He's may be the Keith Richards of Depeche Mode having been through a ton, but he sure doesn't sound like it. The album becomes about every style the band has ever worked with. They fuse synthesizers and drum machines with industrial sounds you might here from Nine Inch Nails and some raw dirty guitar lines. The lyrics themselves revolve around heavy topics like religion, death, life's biggest mysteries. Gore remains the main song writer and the backbone of the band throughout the album, while it's Dave that give the songs meaning and life. For a band three decades into their career to put out an album like this is quite amazing. It truly speaks to their legacy. Old dogs don't always learn new tricks, but they sure are damn good at their old ones.
                                                           Depeche Mode- Heaven 

       The albums opener "Welcome To My World" starts off with dark feeling and the usual drum machine before transitioning into something completely different. This is where the album is going mix the new with the old, the industrial with the synthesizers. "Angel" is a true dark bluesy blast of a song. It truly shows off how immensely talented Dave Gahan really is. Then we reach "Heaven" the albums single and one of the high points on the album. A truly beautiful ballad that features some great harmonies from Dave and Gore. "Secret To The End" is a dark and synth heavy song that follows the pattern set by the opener. "My Little Universe" is by far the best song on the album and also the most complicated. It starts off simply with only a few simple lines before exploding into a huge techno breakdown. "Slow" feels reminiscent of Songs of Faith and Devotion. "Broken" has the deepest vocals Ive heard from Dave in a while. A dark ballad like The National mixed with New Order. "The Child Inside" features Gore on lead vocals, a very emotional and dark ballad. Gore's vibrato is beautiful. "Soft Touch/ Raw Nerve" is a completely synthesizer driven song and a major throwback tune. "Should Be Higher" is a slow building song that draws you in as it unfolds into itself.  "Alone" is another industrial dark sounding song. It uses heavy drum machines over crazy breakdowns Trent Reznor might use. "Sooth My Soul" feels like an attempt to follow up mega hit "Personal Jesus" after all why not relive your glory days. The closer "Goodbye" is another song that feels like it could have come from the Songs of Faith and Devotion sessions, but what a powerful song.
                                                   Depeche Mode- Should Be Higher

      Depeche Mode have a way of keeping themselves relevant, selling records, selling out tours and not selling their souls to do it. They should sell their secret to the Kings of Leon. This album is a very diverse career spanning album that new and old Depeche Mode fans can appreciate. 
Recommended Songs: Heaven, Angel, My Little Universe, Goodbye.

4/5 Stars