There is an unusual aura surrounding Depeche Mode and their brand-new new wave intensive album Sounds of the Universe. The legendary Britpop band has finally found happiness while developing an album filled with tormenting themes of isolation, soullessness and self-loathing. Lead keyboardist Andrew Fletcher dusts off DM’s vintage synthesizers and computerized drum machines to help them rediscover their resonating gothic pop sound that helped them soar in the Billboard charts during the 80s and 90s. This is perhaps their best effort since Violator (1990), but there are a number of tracks where the British trio coasts on cruise control with a handful of subpar melodies. But there are at least five songs in this 12-track album that make this a must-have edition to one’s Depeche Mode collection.
Wrong is the album’s first single, which is perhaps the albums heaviest and most club-ready track. Lead Vocalist David Gahan croons about being trapped in a life of misery and destitution. "I was born with the wrong sign. In the wrong house. With the wrong ascendancy, I took the wrong road that led to the wrong tendencies." The track is a classic techno throwback that is reminiscent of Clean (from Violator). In Perfect, Depeche Mode could be paying tribute to their former bandmate Vince Clarke in this Erasure-esque beautiful synth-beat-laden track about trying to come to grips about a failing love affair. Both Gahan and Martin Gore showcase exquisite vocals while they mourn about trying to find inner tranquility in the luscious ballad Peace. Gore unleashes menacing guitar rhythms over a tribal drum backbeat in Hole to Feed.
Sounds of the Universe answers the pervading question of whether English gothic rock has a definitive place in 21st century modern music. The LP is a shock to the system, considering how debonair the band sounds as they continue to romanticize us with their propulsive melodies of despair.
Download Right Now: Wrong, Perfect & Hole To Feed
Grade: B
