Surfing The "Universe"

OK, Martin Gore, we get it with the themes of sex and religion and violation and debasement and love's twisted path to fruition. And bad haircuts in S&M gear...let's not forget that, either.

After Vince Clarke left Depeche Mode in the early '80s to shack up with other muses (Alison Moyet in Yazoo, Andy Bell in Erasure), Gore stepped into the songwriting shoes by playing down the overt pop from their first record Speak And Spell in favor of amping up the faux-Goth perversity, hot topics before there was Hot Topic. It took a while to gain traction, but once it did -- viva la Violator, amigos y amigas -- it seemed to speak for a generation of awkward teenage couplings.

But then they kept going after somewhat losing the plot, flirting unconvincingly with guitar-based rock and dissonant soundscapes before getting their DM groove back with '05's Playing The Angel. [Seriously, "John The Revelator" is one for the DM hall of fame, all throbbing pulse and killer chorus.] And now they've put Sounds Of The Universe, their most consistently tuneful and memorable full-length since '87's Music For The Masses, but given age and the ever-shifting zeitgeist, it's likely that the fan base that would most enjoy this album has long since moved on. Which is a shame, because from start to finish, there's enough sheer variety and engagement to put this in the upper echelon of the DM catalog. (And if you have dollars to spare, the limited edition -- with extra discs of demos, remixes, and songs left off the album -- is pretty rewarding as well.)

The video for "Wrong" is below, so enjoy a taste of the Universe.

Depeche Mode - Wrong Video Clip
by Mightybaut

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THIS is a CLOSE-UP?

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