Sounds of the Universe [LP + CD]

Performer: Depeche Mode
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: With SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE, Depeche Mode's follow-up to 2005's well-received PLAYING THE ANGEL, the renowned English synth-pop act tones down the dark Wagnerian mood of the earlier effort, resulting in a more dynamic sound that occasionally evokes the lighter, though no less dramatic, DM of the 1980s. As on ANGEL, chief songwriter Martin Gore cedes three songs to vocalist Dave Gahan (and his creative team), with the spiky "Hole to Feed" standing out among the latter's contributions. Highlights by the newly sober Gore include the fierce "Wrong" and the dreamy "Peace," songs that readily take their place along side Depeche Mode classics, and prove that the group is still in fine form nearly 30 years after its inception. 2005's Playing the Angel proved to be one of Depeche Mode's strongest albums -- the combination of Ben Hillier's production, the emergence of David Gahan as a songwriter following his initial solo effort and a clutch of striking songs that openly embraced arena-level bombast following the much more subtle Exciter resulted in wide praise and a well-received tour. As a result -- especially given the return of Hillier, the first producer to work on two Depeche albums in a row since Flood's heyday with Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion -- Sounds of the Universe was initially suspected of being Playing the Angel redux, something the swaggering lead single "Wrong" didn't undercut at all. After all these years, though, Depeche can still pull out surprises, and what's quite astonishing about Sounds is how they've returned to the equipment and textures of their early-'80s work in particular while reworking it to match both Gahan and Martin Gore's current lyrical and songwriting techniques. On balance, Sounds is one of Depeche's lower-key albums, but not without explosive or dramatic moments by any means, though. "Come Back," one of Gahan's three songwriting contributions, captures a sudden sense of vast space right from its start, the deep-chugging percussion and reverberation perfectly contrasting the soft chimes on the verses, while "Peace," with an opening bassline straight out of the days of the band's pop-industrial phase, and a stellar vocal turn from Gahan, is an absolute high point. But "In Chains," the slow-building start to the disc, sets the tone best for Sounds as a whole, with a hushed keyboard introduction, Gahan's swoon-worthy vocals (showcasing some of his best falsetto work yet), Gore's compressed funk guitar blasts and, above all else, the sense of older styles and sounds -- classic drum machines, early synthesizers, a rumbling bass undercarriage -- serving new purposes. More overt nods to earlier days appear with songs such as "Fragile Tension" and "In Sympathy," both featuring keyboards and beats sounding beamed in from A Broken Frame days but also with beautiful vocals that the younger Gahan could never have so easily done and guitar textures that the younger Gore had yet to fully embrace. "Perfect," meanwhile, almost reaches back to Speak & Spell thanks to an opening keyboard line that immediately calls the song "Puppets" to mind, but again it's more of a launching point for the current band's sound rather than a simple exercise in retrospection. Gore's sole lead vocal appears towards the end of the album on the enjoyable if understated "Jezebel," but his uncanny knack for harmonizing with Gahan throughout remains intact, with stand-out performances including the understated clatter and chime of "Little Soul" and his bravura turn toward the end of "Wrong." On the whole, Sounds of the Universe is a grower, relying on a few listens to fully take effect, but when it does, it shows Depeche Mode are still able to combine pop-hook accessibility and their own take on "roots" music for an electronic age with sonic experimentation and recombination -- not bad for a band with almost three decades under its collective belt. [An LP+CD version was also released.] ~ Ned Raggett

Spin (p.78) - "[C]uts like 'Fragile Tension' and 'Peace' coast along on the kind of catchy synth-pop grooves Depeche Mode specialized in throughout the '80s." Billboard (p.29) - "Depeche Mode continues to produce darkly atmospheric tracks about love, lust and death that have the vulnerability and immediacy of a shared secret." Blender (Magazine) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE kicks off with the spiky, twisted and impossibly gorgeous 'Wrong,' an epic blast of synth-pop bombast on the scale of VIOLATOR or BLACK CELEBRATION." Pitchfork (Website) - "Martin Gore can still be counted on to deliver the goods....Gahan's singing, meanwhile, is as strong as ever, always the perfect vehicle for Gore's lyrics..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.81) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "'Wrong' is one of the Mode's most satisfying tracks post-SONGS OF FAITH & DEVOTION and suggests they have many more albums left in them."

Depeche Mode (French for "hurried fashion") was one of the first and best of the British synth-pop bands, combining breathless, melodic pop with perky electronics. With main songwriter Vince Clarke's departure for Yaz, Martin Gore took the reigns, and the band's sound became darker and harder, though still true to their trademark synth-driven accessibility. The post-Clarke band's moody dance-pop brought Depeche Mode worldwide superstardom in the second half of the '80s. The band survived overexposure, drug problems, and all the other traditional rock-star travails, and came out older and wiser, entering the 2000s as a fully functioning, mature unit.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5