The Hall of Mirrors

The official video wouldn’t let me embed it, so here’s some awards show or something. They’re lip syncing anyway. Also, Andy Fletcher looks like my grandpa Jay.

A couple weeks ago, I was listening to the radio in the middle of the night. A song I had never heard before came on, and I was immediately intrigued by it. Intending to google it later, I tried to memorize a couple lines of the lyrics; then I noticed that the music sounded a lot like Depeche Mode. Of course, then I recognized Dave Gahan’s distinctive voice, and I remembered that the new Depeche Mode album was coming out soon.

In a nutshell, that’s my reaction to Sounds of the Universe, the 12th  studio album from one of the few 80′s electronic bands to remain semi-relevant after the end of that decade. In many ways, the key to that success has been adapting to the times and new musical trends without sacrificing their simple pop sensibility. Unlike their new-romantic brothers-in-arms the Cure, however, Depeche Mode’s latest material sounds just like Depeche Mode.

The band has always paired a simple song structure with a unique sonic landscape, and this combination is on full display on Sounds. The current wave in rock music is full of acts who are not innovative but are interesting (see: Spoon, MGMT, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, more I can’t think of at the moment); count this decade’s Depeche Mode along with them. Proof once more that one needn’t break with convention to make great music.

Longtime fans of the band will appreciate this latest marker in their career as it approaches its fourth decade; casual observers may marvel at a bunch of dudes in their late forties making such a relevant record. Go buy it for $8.99 at Amazon (or at least download it off the Napster or whatever the hell you use these days).

Album highlights are below the fold.

The opening track, “In Chains,” sets the scene with a languishing tempo, simple but evocative poetry, and a great melody. (The only person I’ve spoken to in person about this album is my brother, and he called this track god-awful, saying he guessed the lyrics before they were sung: fair enough. Allow me to add: “Take my hand / Come back to the land / Let’s get away / Just for one day”)

The lead single “Wrong” contains what is probably Gahan’s best vocal performance on the album. I would imagine that one would have a tough time turning this one into some kind of club mix, a testament to the band’s willingness to leave the 80′s in the 80′s.

The back to back tracks “Little Soul” and “In Sympathy” remind me of classic 1987-90 Depeche Mode supporting tracks; that was a time when their records featured pretty much no filler, so that’s far from a criticism.

Listening to the closing track “Corrupt” makes me feel filthy, and I mean that in the best way. The pulsing bass (synthesizer) line grinds through lyrics such as “You’ll be crying out in pain / Begging me to play my games,” and Gahan manages to sound like a drunken lecher staring you in the eyes (if you don’t hear it, consider buying new speakers).