Depeche Mode -- Delta Machine

xpost:

I can think of several post-Songs Of Faith And Devotion tracks that are more boring to me than 'Condemnation' will ever be. The new track is undoubtedly one of them.

It's just, coming right after the primal scream howl of "I Feel You" and the ominous stroll of "Walking In My Shoes", sitting through "Condemnation" feels like listening to your weird great-uncle lecture you for 90 minutes about the evils of color television

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Thursday, January 31, 2013 3:44 PM (10 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Interesting. It's not how I feel about the track, though!

I agree that, based on one listen, "Heaven" is worse than "Condemnation"

I don't mind "Condemnation," but it sounds like it was recorded after he'd been up for three days, which he may have been!

what - I find all their first singles since I feel You (which hasnt aged that well IMO) have been killer.

After a few listens, and hearing them in the context of the album, I love pretty much all of those singles ("Dream On" I can take or leave). But no, first time hearing any of them, they came off as underwhelming to me.

Dream On could possible be my favorite DM song. Top 5 in any case. Condemnation otoh would be somewhere in the bottom 5

Dream On could possible be my favorite DM song. Top 5 in any case. Condemnation otoh would be somewhere in the bottom 5

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Thursday, January 31, 2013 9:51 PM (11 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Reverse those songs and you have my stance on the matter.

FYI the groaning thing you're reacting to with Dave's vocals, especially on PtA, are him trying to glide into vocal entrances with words that start with vowels. For some reason, he's trying as hard as be can to not begin a phrase with a glottal stop and ends up doing that weird preparatory croak instead, probably so that it's easier for him to stabilize and center the pitch of the note.

tbh so much of my singing career revolves around making sure consonants are audibly started before the beat so that the vowel comes on the beat that all of Gahan's vocal prep tricks flew completely past my radar

Okay, just purchased the single. Hmm, that was a lot slower and moodier than I expected. (Liked it nonetheless, of course!) Now on to the remixes...

Is there a gabber or happy hardcore mix?

Crazy Frog Mix

Decent album track (no way as annoying as Condemnation), tragically mistaken for a single.

I'm never going to understand why folks are so down on 'Condemnation' :/

Lovely arrangement but a later Gahan wouldn't have sounded so, um, burnt out.

He's there on the stand! Facing accusations! Lies! He does sound like he's going through it and it fits. "Get Right with Me" though, that is some dross.

lol I actually like "Get Right With Me"

I love "Condemnation" for exactly its worn-out/hungover quality.

I think all Depeche Mode albums have at least one song that gets overshadowed by a lot of what surrounds it, and I'd say that 'Get Right With Me' was the one on Songs Of Faith And Devotion that fits into that particular category. I actually quite like the song a great deal, but there's no doubt that it is a bit buried on there. Kinda like how 'Blue Dress' is on Violator... another song I like a great deal, but gets overshadowed by pretty much everything else on the album.

there was a long period of time where "Blue Dress" was my favorite song on Violator; the song I think gets overshadowed on that album is "The Sweetest Perfection"

xpost:

And ledge and Simon H pretty much on the money... as much as I'm more of a fan of Dave's more smoother vocals, the vocal on 'Condemnation' really does fit in with the lyrical ccntent. If he'd sang it a bit more smoother or with his more recent croaky-croak (although more 'tutored') voice maybe it wouldn't have the same effect. I get the impression that Dave really felt that vocal, and it's probably why it moves me a lot.

*content, rather.

I don't mind Dave's vocal on "Condemnation", I really hate the fake gospel plod that manages to suck all of the vibrancy and energy out of gospel music and flatten it out into an ill-considered, poorly arranged pastiche that can't even measure up to the authenticity of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".

there was a long period of time where "Blue Dress" was my favorite song on Violator; the song I think gets overshadowed on that album is "The Sweetest Perfection"

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Friday, February 1, 2013 3:12 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It's always been one of my favourites, too. 'Blue Dress', that is. I suppose 'The Sweetest Perfection' could fit into that category also. Neither song has been brought out for a live outing on the last few tours, have they? Whereas the singles have all had an outing, and I know for a fact they played both 'Halo' and 'Waiting For The Night' on the Exciter tour... and of course they did that acoustic rendition of 'Clean' around the time of Playing The Angel as part of the DVD edition...

I don't mind Dave's vocal on "Condemnation", I really hate the fake gospel plod that manages to suck all of the vibrancy and energy out of gospel music and flatten it out into an ill-considered, poorly arranged pastiche that can't even measure up to the authenticity of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".

― Ima R.A.E.D. (DJP), Friday, February 1, 2013 3:22 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

o_O !!!

it's also kind of hilarious how much more connected, better arranged and better performed "Walking In My Shoes" and "Mercy In You" are when listening to the album straight through

Dave clearly wasn't in the best sorts during the SOFAD era, but agreed that his strung-out vocal on "Condemnation" adds something to that song that they haven't really recaptured since his vocal training. Wouldn't say I prefer his singing in that style overall, but it really suits some tracks.

I don't think the vocal is THAT strung out; had I not read about all of the rehab brouhaha at the time, I would have just chalked it up to "inauthentic attempt to bring the listener to church" to go along with the music

lol I didn't think there was anything about DM that annoyed as much as their hyper-twee side but apparently "failing to convince me that the emotional core of the song is genuine" is up there (and probably the root of my twee-hate), which may also explain why "Suffer Well" can also drive me up a wall

Condemnation was the first time I thought, OK, maybe you can stop singing about sin and guilt now, we get it. Little did I know.

I understand what you mean by "failing to convince (you) that the emotional core of the song is genuine". I've got that vibe from several tracks that Depeche Mode have put out since Ultra. The new track, 'Heaven', is one of them. Many tracks from Exciter fit into this category. At the other end of the spectrum, 'Precious' undoubtedly isn't one of them... and I don't think 'Condemnation' is either.

Condemnation was the first time I thought, OK, maybe you can stop singing about sin and guilt now, we get it. Little did I know.

― Deafening silence (DL), Friday, February 1, 2013 3:38 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Oh yeah, a lot of those things have definitely become lyrical crutches for Martin Gore. I know I've poked fun at that plenty over the years, and even the band took the piss out of themselves by putting a quote on the Playing The Angel sleeve that said "Pain and suffering in various tempos". I think they know they're kinda mining familiar ground. I don't mind it so much on Songs Of Faith And Devotion, but on recent Depeche Mode releases I have often found myself wishing that Gore would try and shake off some of those lyrical crutches.

Well the divorce probably didn't help.

Wrong struck me as a tongue-in-cheek take on the usual themes but I don't know if it's meant to be funny. I wish he'd followed the path of Precious and written about smaller, more personal emotions. Such a great idea to write a song apologising to his kids for his divorce.

I remember when Playing The Angel came out, I saw the name of the track 'The Sinner In Me' and thought to myself... "ah, here we go again! more tracks about sin, suffering and getting down on your knees!". Fortunately, I like a song a lot, but there was a part of me that's going "aw shit, he's going the same way as Brett Anderson!"

I thought both "In Chains" and "Hole To Feed" were great returns to sleaze

Haha

https://twitter.com/EvieN/status/297371189851090944

xpost:

*a=that

it's actually kind of funny, I do enjoy SOTU but I could easily edit it down to a four song EP and be perfectly content ("In Chains", "Hole To Feed", "Wrong", "Corrupt")

Oh yeah, a lot of those things have definitely become lyrical crutches for Martin Gore Trent Reznor Bruce Springsteen a thousand singers.

xpost -- no "Come Back" or "Fragile Tension"?

Never been much of a fan of 'Hole To Feed', although I like those other three you've mentioned, DJP. I also quite like 'Fragile Tension', 'In Sympathy' and 'Perfect', too, although I don't really think they got the best out of the songs, and it would have been interesting to see what they would have sounded like with, say, Tim Simenon producing instead of Ben Hillier. Although, do you think Tim Simenon would work with Depeche Mode again? Those Ultra sessions sounded extremely trying for all involved.

Oh yeah, a lot of those things have definitely become lyrical crutches for Martin Gore Trent Reznor Bruce Springsteen a thousand singers.

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, February 1, 2013 3:55 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Sorry Josh, are you implying that Bruce Springsteen's and Martin Gore's lyrical style are in any way alike?

*styles, rather.

"Fragile Tension" and "Come Back" are the second tier; I like both of them a lot but I could live without them if the hypothetical cutoff point is four songs

I really really REALLY love everything about "Hole To Feed"; that syncopated kick drum, the rolling bass line, the burbling synth stabs, the guitar accents, the gorgeous gorgeous bridge, the way it spirals to an end... in so many ways, it's one of the most distinctive songs they've done since forever (I want to maybe go all the way back to "Flexible" to find something that strikes me as equally quirky).

It also helps that the video is deranged.

btw I'm currently listening to SoFaD and the big difference between "Condemnation" and "Get Right With Me" is that I buy into the backup singing on "Get Right With Me"

I think 'Come Back' is well below second tier. Bottom-of-a-6ft.-hole-dug-in-the-floor-of-the-basement tier.

Yeah, I love those backing vocals on 'Get Right With Me'...

"Already told you once..." "TOLD YOU OOOOOOOONCE!"
"Once or twi-ice..." "ONCE OR TWIIIIIIICE!"

But I don't want to get right with him.

xp: ... you've heard gospel choirs before, right?

What does liking the backing vocals on 'Get Right With Me' have to do with whether or not I've heard a gospel choir before? I mean, of course I have, but I don't see what your point is.

Bruce Springsteen and Martin Gore are exactly alike in every regard.