I Said I'd Write A Ballot, But I Never Got The Time -- ILM Artist Poll #18 -- DEPECHE MODE (voting thread)

(I do like it, I just think they've done better.)

They suffered the same trouble as the Pet Shop Boys. Their deepening craft got inversely proportional to their curiosity about interesting electronic rhythm tracks.

I don't think that's true at all, actually. Sounds of the Universe alone has "Hole To Feed", "Little Soul", "Spacewalker", "Jezebel" and "Corrupt" on it, none of which are what I would consider to be standard, uninteresting electronic rhythm tracks. Playing the Angel also has a bunch of tracks that are more interesting than your standard straight unsyncopated 4/4 beat ("John the Revelator", "The Sinner in Me", "Macro", "The Darkest Star") and several of the more straightforward tracks either use nonstandard percussion sounds ("I Want It All", "Damaged People") or a lot of offbeat rhythmic flourishes ("Nothing's Impossible").

"Barrel of a Gun" seemed bizarre and unpleasant to me at the time and, revisiting it recently, only moreso now

although i heard "It's No Good" today on the local alt-rock stations '90s at noon' block and it sounded alright

"it's No Good" is so fucking AWESOME, wld fit right in on Violator IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aieEZ950d1I

freeerrrrm freerrrmmm freerrrmm frerrrrm freerrrrrrm frerrrrm freerrrrrrm
frrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

The rhythm track on "It's No Good" is precisely what I dislike about the song.

What do you dislike about it?

I love pretty much all their singles and at least an additional third of their album tracks. I don't know how I could do this, but then, Led Zeppelin is pretty much all albums tracks, and it turned out OK there in the end.

god I need to stop listening to these albums, it's making my ballot expand rather than shrink ("Leave In Silence"!)

What do you dislike about it?

Because it's inert, there's more pressure on the vocals, melodies, and lyrics, none of which deliver. I couldn't have asked for anything less inspiring from a college radio stalwart in 1997.

The year of Be Here Now

Because it's inert, there's more pressure on the vocals, melodies, and lyrics, none of which deliver. I couldn't have asked for anything less inspiring from a college radio stalwart in 1997.

So... the rhythm track isn't precisely what you dislike about the song; it doesn't really sound like you like any of it!

It starts with the rhythm track though. That chugga-chugga-chugga program in 1997 was lame.

DJP that video is wild. I didn't like the song.

The one Abs posted is better.

Being reminded of the greatness of "But Not Tonight" is tipping me toward putting in enough effort to compile a ballot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uolAT4HqH5c

do want to echo the praise for playing the angel above, doing a cursory review before putting together my ballot i was struck by how strong that album is, to my ears the best album they or any of their big pre-nirvana modern rock radio hitmaker peers put out this century (and i'm far from a depeche mode obsessive). to anyone that lost the plot w/ these guys around the time of songs of faith i'd highly recommend you give 'precious' a listen at the very least.

really find it hard to *love* the late period give or take 1 or 2 numbers. was an absolute nut for this band, still adore the peak but just can't get it up for much after Songs Of Faith..

i like this though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzS4HQYd5Ak

also i'm not sure where curtis came down on the remix thing (i'd just pool it all together like pazz and jopp) but just in case, the 'depeche mode' track i definitely heard out the most by far this century:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAio7VoD-e4

five years ye gods

I'm going to be lumping all mixes of the same song in together, yeah. That doesn't mean people shouldn't vote for their favorite remixes, though.

(if anyone wants to resubmit his/her ballot with changes feel free)

oh might do that eh

if you disliked the rhythm track, dunno if this would change that but it's definitely a way different take

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IccOLT7CNFo

http://youtu.be/SbIo_pOatAI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLafxu8guJQ

Also screaming ministry of sound but a nice reworking:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfWSBSjCKGA

oh that "Dream On" mix is GREAT, I hadn't heard it before

I like that it was remixed by "Dave Clarke"

Want to rep again for Home
THIS SHIT IS BEAUTIFULK

I think my fave album cut of theirs is NOTHING

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lt4KJaYe8U

Alright, after sending in my ballot I'm gonna listen to the post Ultra albums. Not expecting great things though, I've given them all a shot at least once before (although Wrong was in with a chance of making my ballot).

oh that "Dream On" mix is GREAT, I hadn't heard it before

― I'M THAT POSTA, AAAAAAAAAH (DJP)

It was on several 'chillout' compilations back in the day. It was the highlight of many of them imho.

I like that it was remixed by "Dave Clarke"

― crüt

What? I don't get it... are you referring to other dave clarke? this is the remixer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Clarke_%28techno_DJ%29

I guess he's saying it's appropriate: DAVE Gahan + Vince CLARKE.

An underrated SOFAD tracK. "When this world is trying it's hardest to leave me unimpressed" is such a classic Gore line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOfuB3e5rR4

yep, love that one. altho not enough for it to appear on my ballot.

These kind of ballot wars really make me...not question my own fandom, but wonder if I'm somehow off kilter for loving every album for its various strengths, and never thinking they've made a bad album.

I don't think they've made a bad album. I just personally can't get into their post-Violator effort as much as their earlier albums. I think the thing you touched on upthread about "But Not Tonight" being their last upbeat song has something to do with it.

I also don't think there's such a thing as being an "off kilter" fan - everyone likes different combinations of things.

see: Dan putting A Broken Frame at the bottom of his albums list whereas I'd list it at #2 or #3

"Upbeat" isn't an adjective that comes to mind when I think of Depeche Mode, tbh; I think The Cure is more reliable upbeat and chipper than they are. (This probably goes a long way towards explaining why DM's early twee side grates on me so much.)

the sinister edge is what seems to be missing from their later albums, for me - plus the interesting electronic details as noted by alfred upthread. something like 'sister of night' i just find really wimpy, and they continued moving in that direction.

Re that early twee side, is there another major band with their trajectory, where they really found their identity only after the original songwriter left?

the sinister edge is what seems to be missing from their later albums, for me

This makes zero sense to me; I think the one constant of Depeche Mode albums since Construction Time Again is an overabundance of sinister edge! (In fact, that's one of the things that makes Playing the Angel so great.)

I don't see Vince Clarke-era Depeche Mode any "less" Depeche Mode than what came afterwards, to be honest. It all very much sounds like Depeche Mode music to me, even if their gradual evolution into what most people would call the 'typical Depeche Mode style' is very apparent from album to album.

xp that's on the playlist for tomorrow; surface impression of 'sounds of the universe' today was that it was definitely lacking in edge. could be it's mostly the electronic depth i'm missing tho. all the songs on violator sound like incredible machines, the thrill i get listening to them is not dissimilar to what i get reading sci-fi. everything after that, even if they're good songs, they just sound like regular old songs. i could imagine any band performing them, any band having written them even.

To me, the difference between the later albums and the earlier albums is that on those later albums Depeche Mode have more of an idea of who they are and what they do. They're aware that they've forged a 'Depeche Mode style', and they make their music with that kind of thinking in mind. Whereas on the albums from when Gore took over as songwriter on A Broken Frame up until Violator, they seemed to have less of idea, and it made the results more interesting. Songs Of Faith And Devotion, I guess was an attempt to consciously try and do something different, but since Alan Wilder's departure they've been quite content to make what I'd call 'typical Depeche Mode music'. There's some great songs on Ultra, Playing The Angel and Sounds Of The Universe (I find Exciter very bland), but they seem to have settled into a groove of making music that is more reminiscent of their Violator era, while in places retaining some of the grit of Songs Of Faith And Devotion... and of course, the usual lyrical crutches: sin, suffering, pain, misery, devotion, God, religion, knees...

Then there's this video from 2009, not sinister at all! (Granted, video != song necessarily but come on.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvfcnpJRf0Q

xpost:

In other words, they know what works, and they're not as big on fucking with the formula to the same degree as what they used to. A lot was made of Dave Gahan making contributions to the songwriting on Playing The Angel and Sounds Of The Universe, but because Dave himself has been in Depeche Mode since the beginning, it's pretty inevitable that he's going to be heavily influenced by Martin's songs, and it doesn't really offer that much of a 'new' dimension to Depeche Mode albums. 'Suffer Well' especially sounds like a typical Depeche track.