Sounds of the Universe

Depeche Mode
Sounds of the Universe
6 out of 10

To me, Depeche Mode is an integral part of my teenage years. I wore out my cassette copies of Construction Time Again, Some Great Reward, Black Celebration and Violater. They truly were the first band that sparked my love of dance music and synthesizers. I have followed them blindly ever since then, for better and for worse. Once Alan Wilder left the band after the Songs of Faith and Devotion tour, I've felt that the band is no longer as willing to push the envelope as much. After the tepid Ultra and almost somnambulistic, and misleadingly titled Exciter I had about given up hope on them. Their last release, Playing the Angel, definitely restored my faith with a return to a more focused sound. DM kept the same producer for their latest release, and while it is not as refreshing as Playing the Angel, it in no way tarnishes the DM reputation.

This is by far one of DM's longest cds at over an hour and 13 songs. It starts off with "In Chains" with a slowbuild up and interesting use of older analog synthesizers and drum machines. Dave Gahan's voice is still getting richer and deeper and he works well on Martin Gore's lyrics as well as the few tracks that he is now writing. It is a compliment to say that it is getting difficult to tell the difference between the two writers. Also, Gore's guitar playing has gotten more confident, although he uses it more for texture and atmosphere than for the focus of the songs, which to me is a good thing.

First single "Wrong" is a standout on the album. It recalls the glory days of songs like "Personal Jesus."



The cd appears to be as strong as Playing the Angel at first, with the one/two/three punch of "In Chains," electro-tinged "Hole to Feed," and "Wrong." The middle of the cd takes a turn to old-school DM, with more reliance on beats and synthesizers. Things start off right with the wonderful "Fragile Tension,""In Sympathy," and "Come Back."







At this point, I was thinking we were reaching another Violater. The quality of the song writing and the production was excellent. Of course, I spoke too soon. After "Come Back," the cd basically goes off the rails. They continue with the ill-advised habit of having a short instrumental on this cd like on Ultra and Playing the Angel. This year's culprit is "Spacewalker" which sounds like a bad Air outtake. It gets even worse and more meandering with "Jezebel," a Martin Gore sung ballad, which does not use some of his better lyrics. The cd ends on the unfocused "Corrupt" which doesn't seem to know where it wants to go, before ending with a long fade out leading to a quasi-reprise of "Wrong."

If DM had edited the cd a little more critically and sequenced the songs a little more thoughtfully, this would have been another classic. As such, we are left with a cd that is better than good, but just short of great. Of course, at this point in their careers, they really don't have anything to prove. They will continue to sell out stadiums and make tons of money. So I will allow them their indulgences, as long as they continue to put out good records. And yes, this is a good record.