|
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
_
|
|
|
|
Seven
New Songs by Depeche Mode In A Rush
by Thomas Vänker of Intro magazine
Monday, 4th of July , 5:27 pm, London: A quick handshake by Mute
boss
Daniel Miller and here we go, deeper into what looked like a normal
English house from outside. In fact it´s rather one of these
private
clubs, of which folks like us only hear about from the tabloids,
when
Boris Becker gets foisted yet another child upon him (okay, that
happened actually in a high-end restaurant but you get the picture,
don't you?) or when some banker gets arrested red-handedly because
of
some sort of dubious financial transaction.
Today the ground floor of this salacious and beautiful club (a harmonic
mix of British conservatism and Greek-ish interior design and art)
is in
the hands of the most important band in the world - no, not Kiss,
I´m
talking about Depeche Mode!
Miller is aware of the jumpiness of the attendees - journalists
coming
to Depeche Mode are always a little more excited than they would
be with
any other subject; not to mention the also attending label employees.
This is a fans' world, through and through. Miller keeps his speech
accordingly short: The album will be called Playing The Angel and
be
released on 17th of October, and now we´re going to hear the
world
exclusive premiere of seven songs off the new album - unfortunately
yet
unmastered. A fact which Miller, the old perfectionist, visibly
feels
quite uncomfortable with. But there´s no other way. With a
tour
time-phased for January and the release of the album the Depeche
Mode
machine has restarted once more, four years and some months after
Exciter, and the machine imperativly needs to be fed.
And one thing is clear after this bombastic listening session (bombastic
both concerning the environment - the album was played on an
unbelievably loud PA - and in respect of content): Nothing can stop
the
Depeche Mode machine!
Playing The Angel is a dark, thunderously rocking album, which lyrically
digs into the infinite abysms of human existance and, in doing so,
avails itself musically of a range from Industrial to contemporary
electronic avantgarde. But after all it always comes back to this
certain self-reliance and independence which is Depeche Mode known
for
for 25 years know.
So, here are the first hard facts. After a single listen. That is,
don´t kill me if it feels a little different afterwards.
1. 'Precious'
Will be the first single. And deservedly so. The song works from
the
start. Very homogenous and self-contained all in all, in short moments
nevertheless with the very libertine Depeche Mode always get away
with.
For example the shortest fragment of a melody ever: Just a tap on
the
piano-synth and catchiness and significance still add up. It reminds
myself a bit on the Black Celebration period but it's also reminiscent
of Violator. Pathos doesn´t get missed out, too. Excerpt:
"If God had
a masterplan." - despair right away, then. As the track was
played once
again at the end of the listening session people virtually danced
to it.
Fire test has been passed with flying colours. The word 'classic'
is in
the air all over the place.
2. 'The Sinner In Me'
A very dark, Industrial-like track which be could be as well Nine
Inch
Nails - well, until the vocals come in. The Italo lot among the
British
colleagues shiver in the face of too much harshness. Once more about
agony and pain:".still recover, still go over all the suffering.."
(by
the way, no warranty for accuracy at all when it comes to quotes
off the
lyrics). Towards the end the track appropriatley vanishes in digital
noise and swoosh.
3. 'Suffer Well'
And once again suffering - even though I Freudianly misheard "Suffer
Weil". Well-fitting to the flow of the record, Gahan talks
later on
about "one of the darkest Depeche Mode records ever".
This song, a very
strong, lusty anthem, is penned by him, by the way. Just like another
one in this listening session and a third one on the final album
(which
- so much for now - will be finished by the end of this week). The
track
ends with a surprising Hip Hop scratch of noise sounds. Once again
one
of those ambitious, at first intriguing but then sense making elements
which the band has such a good grasp of.
4. 'Macrovision'
"...Overflowing senses... I hear my blood flow." Aptly
to this short
quote there´s only the voice present at the beginning of the
song,
haunting, coming in for all things - and when the wall of sound
joins
the voice still leads the track to higher levels. Nonetheless: A
difficult track at first listen, somehow it has something pretentious
about it. A feeling which is ultimately blotted out by the intoxicating
melancholy, though.
5. 'John The Revelator'
One of these tracks which work after a few seconds already, which
needs
no big introduction , which just enters the room and can be assumed
as
well-established. The leading 80s synth sound recalls slightly on
"Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass" by I-F and is the ideal
leitmotif for
a song which has the ability to blend the best of the worlds of
Rock and
Electronics. Potential single. I would say.
6. 'I Want It All'
The second track by Gahan in this session. And so far the least
enthralling for me. A ballad and therefore very much produced
pertinently for his voice which, blessed with all presence possible,
narrates over layers of click sounds. Towards the end the sounds
take
over, step by step, grinding and rattling like the colossus in Björk's
"Army Of Me" video clip.
7. 'A Pain That I'm Used To'
The track begins with an unsettling vocal line, which in its flow
rather
reminds on Italo-Pop-House canto than Depeche Mode. But at latest
when
the sublime melody rises above the darkness of the words, when the
elevated raptures presage, the song falls back into the world where
it
really belongs. Perhaps the track with the best dramaturgy on the
album.
Another potential single for me.
The Bottom Line: An album like a lustful punch in your face - so
to
speak the "Fight Club" album of Depeche Mode. No chance
at all to step
aside and evade.
source: http://www.intro.de/musik/news/1120563041 - original text
written by Thomas Vänker of Intro magazine - translation into
English
by Niggels(www.depeche-mode.com/forum)
|
