Depeche Mode new album "Spirit" March 17

Well i would say i'm not overwhelmed but i think it is okay and i like the video. And of course i'm looking forward to hear the album. The reactions from journalists who already had the opportunity to listen to "Spirit" were quite positive.

 

Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan on Urgent New 'Spirit' LP, David Bowie Influence

Gahan recalls sobbing last January when he heard that Bowie had died. He had gotten used to seeing Bowie in surprisingly normal social settings – Gahan and Bowie's daughters are about the same age and attend the same school – and Gahan would sometimes chat with Bowie at school functions. "It was very different to the Bowie that I grew up adoring and living vicariously through," he says. He'd become a fan as a young teen watching Top of the Pops and latched onto Bowie's androgyny because his mother didn't like it. When he turned 16, he scrounged together some money ("I'm sure I stole something and sold it," he says) to see Bowie perform at London's Earl's Court in 1978, and he calls the double live album, Stage, which was recorded on that tour, "some kind of pacifier" for him, his go-to Bowie.

"I had seen the news but it wasn't until my wife told me he had died that I just broke down in tears," Gahan says. "My daughter came out and they were both hugging me. It really affected me. I felt a huge gap. One of the things I was most regrettable about was that I had never really gone up to him at any time I'd seen him in passing and said, 'You know, David, I bump into you every once in a while, but I've never told you how much your music has meant to me and continues to mean to me.'"
To right this, Depeche Mode paid tribute to Bowie at a special concert they recently recorded at New York City's High Line public park. They filmed the performance – which they did without an audience and which included several songs from Spirit – with just a drum machine and Gore on guitar, and they capped it with a cover of Bowie's "Heroes." "I was so moved, I barely held it together, to be honest," Gahan says. "Martin listened to 'Heroes' once it was mixed and randomly told me, 'Wow, that was really ****ing good.' And I said, 'Yeah, it was, wasn't it?'"

 

I tuned out of Depeche Mode after Ultra, so that's about a 20-year-long blank space for me. I heard "Where's the Revolution?" and liked it immediately, so much that I might get the new LP. Are the albums since Ultra worth tracking down?

 

Yes. Start with Playing The Angel.

 

Yes, but you will get a varied response from the fanbase.

My favorite of the recent ones is Playing The Angel and the standout track is "Precious", arguably the second best single Mart has ever written behind the majestic ETS. My favorite deep cut on that record is "The Sinner In Me".

I would advise checking out the other lead singles "Dream On", "Wrong" and "Heaven". All very different and frankly none of them are representative of their respective albums, but it will give you an idea of what they have been up to.

 

I'm a fan of Delta Machine and Sounds of the Universe also. But, opinions to vary quite a lot.

 

Seconded Playing The Angel. I wasn't the biggest fan of Exciter or Delta Machine, and I do think Sounds Of The Universe is a very YMMV album (I love In Chains, Wrong, Peace and a few others, but there's also some disposable forgettable stuff) but PTA is the one latter day album that you could place with the classics.

 

Is there a preferred vinyl version of PTA available?

Thanks for the help getting up to speed, too, BTW...

 

The recent reissue was a godsend for those of us unwilling to shell out serious money for original. It sounds great and vastly better than the brickwalled cd (one of the loudest CDs I own).

 

Tough call. Half of Playing The Angel is mostly good, while most of Exciter is half-good.

 

For what it's worth, these are my favorite tracks on the albums since Ultra.

Exciter:

Shine
The Sweetest Condition
Freelove
I Feel Loved
I Am You
Goodnight Lovers

Playing The Angel:

A Pain That I'm Used To
John The Revelator
Suffer Well
The Sinner In Me
Precious
I Want It All
The Darkest Star

Sounds Of The Universe:

In Chains
Hole To Feed
Little Soul
In Sympathy
Come Back
Corrupt

Delta Machine:

Welcome To My World
Angel
Secret To The End
My Little Universe
Slow
Should Be Higher
Alone
Soothe My Soul
Goodbye
Happens All The Time (bonus track)


I guess I enjoyed Delta Machine more than anything else since Ultra.

I'm not a big fan of their single releases, Dream On, Wrong or Heaven. I like Where's The Revolution better than those three but I'm not blown away by it.

 

Playing the Angel is a favorite of mine. The only flaw was it really slowed down the second half. A couple of songs should have been cut, like Martin's. LOL But when it works, it really works. I felt, here was a band in their third decade, but the album sounded fresh, a band not repeating itself.

 

Not sure what it is... maybe I'm just readjusting expectations, but I'm really warming up to "Where's the Revolution".

I'm genuinely happy this group is still making music, whatever the lineup may be.

 

It's not as if DM were Deep Purple. Or Yes, no?

 

It's great to hear the guys have another album coming up, and it's the ideal moment for it. Some of the Playing the Angel songs came by on shuffle while driving to work yesterday, and they made me put on Songs of Faith and Devotion late last evening (always the best time to listen to it, I think). They've been on my mind therefore, so I'm certainly in the mood for hearing new stuff from them. I do like Where's the Revolution, so that's a good sign.

In terms of their output after Ultra (which I did like) I tended to find it a bit patchy. There's parts of Exciter that I adore (I Feel Loved in particular), and Playing the Angel has some great cuts, but I also found both albums to drag elsewhere. I must admit I never really checked out Sounds of the Universe or Delta Machine after that - I suppose there's only so many albums that one can really immerse oneself into at a time. This thread is a timely reminder that there is more than enough left to discover in their later discography.

 

Albums after Ultra personally I'd go for Exciter.

I though Dream On was a great lead single but my favourite on the album is When The Body Sleeps, it's one of those songs when you can tell how much Gahan has improved as a singer.
Such a soulful croon, a real atmospheric chilled out slice of bliss for me.

Also like The Dead of Night and I Feel Loved as well as the closing Goodnight Lovers.

PTA is a good album, SOTU maybe I need to give this one another try but the last time I stuck it on I didn't even get to the end of it, really liked In Chains & Wrong though, must give another go soon.

Delta Machine could have been great with some editorial control in my view, glad to see Spirit is only 12 tracks.

 

You think he is THAT talented?

 

They're supposed to perform on Jimmy Fallon tonight...

 

Thanks James, I haven't watched any type of late night since 'The Man Show'
Is it a two song set or one for Fallon?

 

Nothing has been as funny since then! I can't remember now but it seems like most of the late night shows have moved to a single song and sometimes extras through their website.

 

Single song and likely at the end of the hour to guarantee you watch the whole show.

There is a video of the rehearsal on Facebook though!

 

1080p:

 

I can't wait for this album and the tour. Thanks. I missed this performance. It was great. I love the dark brooding synth.

And Fletch just stands there and rakes in the money.

 

I heard that first single and that was sufficient to make me pre-order the vinyl. Honestly, I think the 2000s have seen Depeche Mode produce some of their better albums. Playing the Angel and Sounds of the Universe are among their best, as far as I'm concerned. As for Delta Machine, I liked it, but I didn't love it. That said, I'm still excited for Spirit.