I have to confess that I didn’t hold out much hope for this record. As with The Cure, Nine Inch Nails and goth-influenced bands generally, there has always been something slightly ridiculous about Depeche Mode, what with their Spinal Tap moments (to wit: Dave Gahan’s “Who do you think I am – fucking Wordsworth?” declaration in road movie 101), relentless gloominess and Martin Gore’s, er, quixotic dress sense.
This decade, though, the band have committed the gravest sin of all – neglecting to write memorable tunes. 2001’s Exciter album was grievously misnamed, and 2005’s Playing The Angel was, for the most part, dreary Depeche Mode-by-numbers. However, the good news is that, on Sounds Of The Universe, the veteran outfit sound thoroughly re-energised.
The familiar elements – dark electro rhythms, ominous synths, lyrics consisting largely of variations on “I’m fucked up” – might be in place, but there is a dynamism and conviction to this record that Depeche Mode haven’t had in a while. Commencing with a cacophonous mix of distortion, booming bass and what sounds like an aeroplane taking off, the album grabs your attention right from the off. The track that follows, ‘In Chains’, is classic Depeche Mode – dark electro-pop with brooding lyrics (“The way you move has left me yearning/The way you move has left me burning”) and a memorable melody.
Throughout, the band make inspired choices: ‘In Sympathy’ is built around a thumping dance groove that harks back to the superb ‘Behind The Wheel’; ‘Spacewalker’ is an atmospheric instrumental reminiscent of ‘Speed Of Life’ from Bowie’s Low; and ‘Peace’ is a bristling slab of industrial dissonance. Best of all is ‘Wrong’, which opens with Gahan barking the title over and over, before kicking into a vintage slice of industrial pop that’s as catchy as it is menacing.
Of course, there are the standard quotient of fillers – the likes of ‘Fragile Tension’ and ‘Come Back’ are wracked tales of alienation, despair and spiritual emptiness (you know, for the fans) unburdened by anything approaching a tune. Still, the album ends on a high note thanks to the stunning one-two of ‘Jezebel’ (which, oddly, shares its title with a rather fantastic track by Recoil, the group formed by former Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder) and ‘Corrupt’; the former is a haunting composition, sung by Gore, that again recalls Bowie (this time ‘Ashes To Ashes’), while the latter finds Gahan at his most demonic, howling lines like “I could corrupt you in a heartbeat... Don’t even tempt me/Soon you’ll be crying and wishing you’d dreamt me.”
So, that’s Depeche Mode. It’s nice to have them back – in black, of course.
Key track: ‘Wrong’