Depeche Mode - Spirit

I dunno, I guess I'm just hoping they'll make a record as layered as Ultra again.

I listened to Ultra on my commute in today. I had taken gigantic pieces of that album for granted (for example, "Insight" is incredible)

I have said this before -- hell, I've said it to Martin Gore directly -- that "Insight" is one of my all-time keepers from the band. Hell of an album closer but just an astonishing song and performance.

The thing is, after three Ben Hillier-produced records, I was secretly hoping for something different in the production department.

Yeah this was crossing my mind as well. Guess we'll have to wait on the album.

Yeah, I'm partly hoping that this is some kind of "red herring" first single and there'll be some surprises on the new record. I'm not expecting anything radically different in the lyrics department (particularly based on that title) but I'm hoping for something that doesn't sound like a continuation of their last three records.

Ultra's grown into one of my favourite Depeche albums in recent years, for the way that it sounds more than anything, but the songwriting was still strong in hindsight.

Ok this single is terrible. Maybe their worst first single ever. Gahan's singing style has changed so much by now that I feel like I'm listening to a wholly different band

1. "Going Backwards"
2. "Where's the Revolution"
3. "The Worst Crime"
4. "Scum"
5. "You Move"
6. "Cover Me"
7. "Eternal"
8. "Poison Heart"
9. "So Much Love"
10. "Poorman"
11. "No More (This Is The Last Time)"
12. "Fail"

The tracklisting, apparently!

I agree with pretty much everything said here. It sounds more like a b-side from the last album rather their once every four years "comeback" single.

Yes, "Ultra" is amazing (but a bit too long) and "Insight" is an all-timer.

If that's the actual tracklisting this is already shaping up to be the most dour album they've released since Black Celebration.

I think it's legit, tbh... there's pictures of the album art doing the rounds on FB (one of the pictures in the inlay is a picture of the band wielding hammers a la Construction Time Again) and you can just about make out a few of the titles ... several of the titles crop up in this Rolling Stone piece:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/depeche-modes-dave-gahan-on-urgent-new-lp-bowie-influence-w462560

It'd seem like even though the title suggests the usual angel/devil/sin/knees angle, that this is going to be more of a "state of the world" record.

Argh, lemme try that again..

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/depeche-modes-dave-gahan-on-urgent-new-lp-bowie-influence-w462560

The image of Dave screaming into the microphone perfectly illustrates what has killed my enjoyment of their music.

Well to be fair, that's pretty much how he's been doing things live for decades now.

Since I quit buying their music after SOFAD, that lines up with my purchases.

Just put on Playing the Angel this morning, which still remains up there with Violator. Puzzling to see them squander it all ever since.

I wish Playing The Angel wasn't mastered so loudly, and I still can't get on board with 'I Want It All', but I think the songwriting is mostly strong on it even if the production could have been better.

Yikes, pretty bad lead single, and similar production to the last three albums. Like Turrican, miss the days when every album had a different sound from the last - I could get excited about a new album as long as it went in a new direction.

I wish they would just go full-on dad-dance and record vocals over the VCMG album

Single is almost entirely devoid of redeeming features as far as I can hear.

An at-times hairy video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsCR05oKROA

On a second listen, song's working much better for me.

On a second listen, song's working much better for me.

Same.

I wish they would just go full-on dad-dance and record vocals over the VCMG album

― ornate orchestral arrangements (DJP), Monday, February 6, 2017 10:58 AM (four days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yessss

also I listened to some live stuff the other day and Martin's vocals are really good?

I still think parts of this are really awkward musically, although really nothing is as awkward as the "dance break" during the "train is coming" bridge in the video.

should I... watch the video? thinking after that comment, maybe not

At least when The Cure did the video for "Why Can't I Be You???" I'm pretty sure they were all high/drunk.

It's the first time Corbijn's done the lead video (as opposed to second or third ones) for a DM album in twenty years. (Still don't know why they ever bothered to use other people after he became their standby.)

That said, the SOTU video run was pretty inspired. Exception that proves the rule.

The videos for Wrong and Hole To Feed are flat-out incredible IMO

And don't knock "Peace" either. That's pretty inspired but doesn't get as much attention.

Wrong video a+

wasn't it one of the dudes from Liars in the video?

I don't think I ever saw the video for "Peace"

um okay WOW

Told ya.

wasn't it one of the dudes from Liars in the video?

Yup, their drummer.

IIRC it had exactly the same vibe as the video for "No.1 Against the Rush"

Every time a new Depeche Mode album is on its way, I always find myself going on a huge DM listening spree. Last night it was Songs of Faith and Devotion, which at one point was my favourite DM record. I was struck by how much I prefer the second half of the LP to the first, and I can hear the flaws in the production these days. Still a great record, though.

American pre-presale, as it were:

https://presale.depechemode.com/

for trivia fans: at 49 mins, this is their shortest album since SOFAD.

not liking "Where's the Revolution" but have a bit of hope for the album.

loving the video.
the flatcaps : a reference to peaky blinders ?
i love how in the beardy/train part they are all totally out of sync with each other.
you just know they were taking the piss out of each other while doing that part.

Meanwhile, the biggest 'UH' in a while w/r/t Depeche

https://twitter.com/Olivianuzzi/status/834799915058470917

someone tell him about Martin

it took me a minute, there are just so many things about Martin that would make him hate Spencer, but... yeah

there's maybe a 20% chance fuckface has only heard/seen the video for "Where's the Revolution" and found it squared with his vague conception of depeche mode as an "edgy" band

http://gothamist.com/2017/02/23/depeche_mode_richard_spencer.php

part of me is giggling that this statement happened but a larger part of me is just despairing at 2016-17

On top of everything else, that photo makes Dave look worryingly like Bono.

Track-by-track impression on the Quietus

re:

I wish they would just go full-on dad-dance and record vocals over the VCMG album

― ornate orchestral arrangements (DJP), Monday, February 6, 2017 10:58 AM (four days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

there's this:

’Scum’

Could it be that Martin Gore’s collaboration with former colleague Vince Clarke under the banner of the criminally under-rated VCMG has some bearing on the Depeche Mode of 2017? The evidence contained here would suggest that it does but those expecting an out-and-out banger are going to be disappointed. The BPMs are still well within the mid-tempo range but this does sound like house music on steroids. The percussion is driven by the kind of handclaps and claves that’ll have you pining for the Roland TR-808 while vintage synths swoop in and out of the track like scavenging birds.

Overall, it comes across as a mid-tempo (dare I say plodding) affair, with "So Much Love" being the (upbeat) exception. Hmm.

If they've changed producers to essentially produce Delta Machine Pt. II then hm indeed.

Delta Machine had more uptempo numbers than what's being described here.

True, but it feels slower in the memory.

I agree, except I also like "Poorman".

Spirit is easily their best since Playing the Angel, if not Songs of Faith and Devotion.

Wow. Well, I think it's better than the last two, I'll give it that.

Yeah, definitely their best since Playing the Angel for me, too... maybe even since Ultra. Maybe they secretly knew they'd have to try and freshen things up a bit.

I'd love to hear more stuff from them in the vein of 'You Move' ...

Fuck, 'Cover Me' is so beautiful... when the pedal steel kicks back in during the outro section it gives me proper goosebumps.

A week from tonight! This'll be fun.

I love 'Corrupt', but 'Fail' just ends this album so perfectly and is, for me, up there with 'Insight' and 'Clean' ...

Okay, last night! Some thoughts:

* A good show for sure, and unique for me because after nine previous times dating back to 1990, this was the first time I'd seen them outside of SoCal. Also the closest to the stage I'd ever been, which provided a nice to way to really look at the band up close and see how they play off each other. Arguably all the broad gestures are just that, but even so there's sometimes some odd, fun little subtleties that happen between all five of them.

* The slight downside to being so close was being among a number of people who mmmmaybe were more there for a perceived cachet/'going out for a show' than the band in question. It was unclear -- it's not that there weren't fans but there was a little less buzz or excitement in comparison to some batshit level reactions with a surrounding audience in the past. Easily part of this is age and nostalgia and distance (on everyone's part!) but maybe it really is that difference between up here and down south.

* Basically it's the well-seasoned unit now -- no lineup change in 20 years -- doing its thing. Only five Spirit songs but by kicking off with "Going Backwards" and "So Much Love" they made a strong start of it -- really good versions live, maybe even stronger than on record. So that was good.

* Some of the setlist had been spoiled for me but not all so there were some interesting surprises. The biggest for me -- no "Precious"! I honestly thought this had become pretty much *the* new anthem for them over the past decade -- it remains one of their strongest songs -- so it not being there was almost a head-scratcher. Other real absence was "Just Can't Get Enough," if only because they had seemed to make that a pretty regular thing since 20 years back as well.

* In terms of what they did play, it was nice to see them start to work Sounds of the Universe back in after mostly ignoring it in 2013 -- "Wrong" and "Corrupt" took a bow -- as well as the remix/revamp version of "A Pain That I'm Used To" they've done before. They pulled some interesting headfakes too -- the intro to "World In My Eyes" was new (and very good) and similarly I didn't recognize "Everything Counts" at all from its intro until the familiar horn/scrape rhythm that starts it off hit the mix.

* The Big Five standards were all there -- "Never Let Me Down Again," "I Feel You," "Walking In My Shoes," "Enjoy the Silence" and "Personal Jesus" -- while Martin did a one-two with his solo spots doing "A Question of Lust" and "Somebody" among others. Sometimes it's all about the usual.

* I really did like the version of "Heroes"! I know some don't but I'd avoided listening to it until last night, and while it's nowhere near as 'huge' as the original, its sweeter feeling and lower-key impact is quite lovely.

* As I mentioned last night, Dave constantly seems ready to shed all his clothes and when he took his jacket off after the first song I figured the vest would soon follow -- but nope, kept in on the whole time, another mild surprise. But he and Martin are in fine voice still (Martin actually sounding a little better than last time -- I wonder if he's figured out how to adjust for time/age more now).

* Fletch is Fletch. God bless him. Raising his hands to get the audience going here and there and otherwise just Fletch.

* Some good Corbijn films this time out, whether animation or actual films -- I remember thinking as "Enjoy the Silence" was building up that there had to be another strange film for that one and behold, we got just that with the various animal shots (thus my alternate title for it, "Enjoy the Bunnies").

* And finally a confession and realization. So during one of the intros of all the band members, Pete and Christian were both mentioned of course, and Pete I think is just ageless and will stay that way. But they showed Christian and...well here's the thing. I've been a fan for so long now that I pretty am still in the "Oh yeah, Christian, the young drummer they added in 1997 or so" mode whenever I think about him. And he's very clearly middle aged now, and I went "FUUUUUCK it's that long too." I mean, Depeche being in their late fifties, yeah, I get that, but when your later members are starting to show the years...yeah, time has passed.

Anyway. We had a great time. I am still very very tired though.

I liked the version of "Heroes" because it was actually kind of spare and chill and gave my ears a break. Nice surprise for such an anthem.

sorry I missed you! I did run into Chaki in the hallway though.

I liked the show. I was in the 100s sections, so back of the floor on the risers; tix were expensive as fuck, and the only downside to the night to me was the cost. 2 tix plus parking plus babysitting pushed this well over $400 total for the evening which I don't really like to think about as it wasn't a $400 experience for me. I was next to a really annoying superfan who bellowed the words to every song while filming the whole thing on his phone and passing his beer back and forth to his wife who was spilling over her seat into mine and held a smelly plate of nachos on her lap all night. So it was hard to get into the show. That said: this was the first time I'd seen DM ever, and they were pretty good. I could have done with fewer of the newer tracks and a few more older tracks (would have liked 'behind the wheel', 'policy of truth', 'precious'....I guess they never do blasphemous rumors anymore sadly) but that is probably just telling my age.

I still don't really accept these new guys in the band.

but I'll also say: IMO the OMD show earlier this summer was way better.

But oh, the Corbjin videos were wonderful; the dance to In Your Room; the animals; the drag queen. they should reissue those as official videos.

glad to see other people saw the show and came to a lot of the same conclusions!

sorry I missed you! I did run into Chaki in the hallway though.

Yeah we ran into a couple of friends of Kate's along the way -- big venue, can't see everything!

2 tix plus parking plus babysitting pushed this well over $400 total for the evening which I don't really like to think about as it wasn't a $400 experience for me. I was next to a really annoying superfan who bellowed the words to every song while filming the whole thing on his phone and passing his beer back and forth to his wife who was spilling over her seat into mine and held a smelly plate of nachos on her lap all night.

Oh Jesus Christ. Yeah I'll take our slightly more sedate part of the crowd over that nightmare. (We were at around...I want to say $340 or something for our tickets. I suppose it's a perverse advantage we have no kids and we just took BART in.)

That said: this was the first time I'd seen DM ever, and they were pretty good. I could have done with fewer of the newer tracks and a few more older tracks (would have liked 'behind the wheel', 'policy of truth', 'precious'....I guess they never do blasphemous rumors anymore sadly) but that is probably just telling my age.

Ah well, better late than never! But yeah I count myself lucky to have seen the one last tour before they started bringing drumkits out in 1993. Inevitable dynamics change. They've done "Policy of Truth" a few times in recent tours but I can't recall the last time I saw them do "Behind the Wheel"...maybe the 98 Singles tour? Not sure! Yeah, "Blasphemous Rumours" and "People Are People" are long since put to bed.

I still don't really accept these new guys in the band.

Eh, it's like Darryl Jones with the Stones. You want to see the show, they're part of the package deal. Even if Fletch were more on Alan Wilder's level I have a feeling they'd have a second keyboardist since Martin plays guitar much more now, and Dave's said that when Christian joined on drums it really helped inspire him and give him a better feeling of performance, so hey. They're the band, they make the calls they do. It's still mostly a self-contained unit in studio but Dave regularly has Pete and Christian be his songwriting collaborators on his tracks, which gives them some royalty money along the way. (They played both of their Spirit collaborations last night too, "Cover Me" and "Poison Heart.")

I'll also say: IMO the OMD show earlier this summer was way better.

Different scope and audiences but: having never seen them myself until now, and getting a set from them that hit ALL the big hits so brilliantly top to bottom plus a good clutch of newer tracks, that was pretty damn awesome, no lie. Between that and the Poptone show it was a great early summer.

But oh, the Corbjin videos were wonderful; the dance to In Your Room; the animals; the drag queen. they should reissue those as official videos.

Yeah they've had so many concert exclusive films from Corbijn that it's a pity they haven't yet put together a full collection of those -- a ton of them have never surfaced properly, though some are tucked away on the live DVDs that have emerged. I always find it intriguing whenever he goes back and finds a new way to revisit a song's general theme or even just an idea that it suggests -- each of the various "Enjoy the Silence"s over the past twenty years has brought something new.

I revisited Delta Machine last night because I wanted to hear it with fresh ears after getting into Spirit so heavily and I wanted to see if Spirit was really that good or I'd become more attuned to late period Depeche...

...Spirit is really that good.

I like all four of the last albums pretty evenly.

Spirit/Playing > the good half of Sounds of the Universe > Delta Machine > the bad half of Sounds of the Universe

^ Yup, I'd agree with that!

As much as I like Playing the Angel, they really should have switched producers sooner... 'Cover Me' is just pure ear candy.

but so is Precious

Ultimately I tend to see the last four albums as of a piece -- there are subtle differences certainly, and Playing and Spirit have some of their most affecting moments lyrically thanks to, for lack of a better term, real world concerns, whether personal or much broader. But compared to how all the previous albums pretty clearly worked on a stake-out-its-own-aesthetics level time for time -- yes, even including Exciter -- then while Playing worked as an excellent recapitulation/reset towards certain strengths with room to move around within said scope, as well as introducing Dave as a songwriter, it's hard for me to hear that great a difference between it and the following three, even with a change in producer for this one. I don't really mind this, and individual songs stand out along the way, easy, so I tend to hear them all through that lens now. (It would make an interesting playlist.)

(I should add this is all separate from ranking. If I had to rank, probably Playing, Spirit, SOTU then Delta but that's arguably more on execution of said aesthetic each time combined with notable strength of songs. I think I still like the SOTU singles more than Spirit's.)

And the strongest Delta single to my mind is "Should Be Higher," which combined with a really dramatic Corbijn concert film made for a standout during the 2013 tour.

“Should Be Higher” and “Secret to the End” are the best songs on Delta Machine

Spirit is not - as I was expecting - a change in sound as obvious as the one between Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion or Ultra and Exciter, but what multiple headphone listens have pretty much confirmed to me (even more so since revisiting Delta Machine) is that this is way more fuller and richer sounding, with a far more exciting mix. On the surface, it seems like more of the same, but for me this is the nu-Depeche sound perfected and done as it should have been done in the first place.

Nice little bonus for the year -- Null + Void is Kurt Uenala, who cowrote Dave's songs on Delta Machine like "Should Be Higher." New track of his featuring Mr. Gahan, who also appears in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUSJ4XK2UXg

I wanna hear 'em mess around more with time signatures/meter changes like on 'You Move' ... apparently the story behind it was Gore sent Gahan the music as he didn't know what to do with it and Gahan saw it as a challenge to come up with a topline and lyric. It paid off!

I knew it was extreme, but, um, holy shit, have y’all seen Martin Gore’s home studio? pic.twitter.com/wFL21vCLI6

— Bruce Levenstein (@BruceLevenstein) January 26, 2018

I was bracing myself knowing it was going to be good, but holy shit... that's way good

My first thought was that it was all just cool wallpaper, but ... no. It's like one of every module.

I heard 'You Move' on shuffle today and had to listen to the whole album. This is still one of their very best late-period records, IMO.

Finally played this on my proper grown-up sound system and boy does it sound massive. I was initially put off by the first single and the reviews describing the album as a constant mid-tempo dirge, but it is unusually consistent and relentless. Generally DM likes to switch up between bangers and Gore confessionals, but this one is super cohesive. Love it