And we’re not talking about the tortured and painful sort of love – this LP is about the one that actually works and this is such a sweet thing to hear from these guys.ģ. Songs like Shine and Freelove are floating through the air like a warm summer breeze while love remains the main topic of the LP. Although album number ten has its sinister moments here and there, it’s the reduced and light sound design of Mark Bell that shows the band from their most delicate side ever. Yes, the boys from Basildon have always been about darkness. It’s the only Depeche Mode record to show their delicate and lighter side The band’s not done yet so we’ll see what might happen as they enter the final phase of their career.Ģ.
Their latest album, 2017’s Spirit, however was a boost of quality and might even be a bit better than Exciter due to its great songs but it wasn’t a total surprise at all. Whether it was the reaction towards this album or something else, but the following three records (all created with producer Ben Hillier) played it safer, especially 2005’s Playing The Angel where the trio’s call for a certain darkness made them sound like their own cover band. Exciter‘s bright and reduced sound was clearly connected to Björk producer Mark Bell who supported the group in the studio, resulting in an unusual and surprising sound. The grungy rock sound of 1993’s Songs Of Faith And Devotion clearly broke with the band’s past and so did the gloomy trip-hop sound of Ultra. Prior to the release of Exciter every Depeche Mode album gave a surprising ‘Oh, that’s interesting’ feeling when you gave it its first spin. Let’s be honest: it’s the last time the band truly surprised us To celebrate its 15th anniversary we want to remind you about this almost forgotten gem. Bright minimalistic beats? Reduced instrumentation with a lot of ‘click’ sounds? No grimly Anton Corbijn music videos and far too little black in general? Yes, this one was a different album, but it’s that special nature that makes Exciter indeed quite exciting, even if it sounds quite calm. The follow-up to 1997’s sort-of-comeback album Ultra didn’t deliver any big hit singles, and its quite unusual sound and look confused many devotees. And although Depeche Mode fans don’t agree on much, most of them agree 2001’s Exciter isn’t one of those records.Įver since its original release on May 14th in 2001, Depeche Mode‘s tenth studio album hasn’t had an easy standing within the band’s loyal fanbase. Gore released enough albums worth being remembered. Black Celebration, Music For The Masses, Ultra – the gang around Dave Gahan and Martin L. Just take the legendary 1990 Violator album and its singles Personal Jesus and Enjoy The Silence. The biography of Depeche Mode is packed with lots of ups and downs and plenty of memorable hit singles and records. With a triumphant set of closing numbers, including magnificent takes on "Never Let Me Down Again," "Master and Servant," and the set-ending "Everything Counts," with what sounds like the entire audience singing the chorus well after the song has finally ended, 101 does far better at its task than most might have guessed.This article was originally published on and then slightly updated and refreshed for the record’s 20th anniversary five years later.
"Pleasure Little Treasure," on record an okay B-side, becomes a monster rocker live, the type of unexpected surprise one could expect from a solid band no matter what the music. Slower numbers and more than a couple of ballads help to vary the hit-packed set, including a fine "Somebody" and "The Things You Said" combination sung by Martin Gore. Understandably focused on Music for the Masses material, the album shows Depeche experimenting with alternate arrangements at various points for live performance big numbers like "Never Let Me Down Again," "Stripped," and "Blasphemous Rumors" pack even more of a wallop here.
This start-to-final-encore record of the concert showcases a band perfectly able to carry its music from studio to stage as well as any other combo worth its salt should be able to do. Pennebaker based around the show clearly demonstrated fans' intense commitment to a near-decade-old band most mainstream critics continued to stupidly portray as a flash-in-the-pan synth pop effort. As an event, Depeche Mode's huge (attendance around 60,000) Los Angeles Rose Bowl concert in 1988 remains legendary no single artist show had totally sold out the venue since eight years beforehand, while the film documentary done by Dylan-filmer D.A.
0 kommentar(er)
