New Depeche Mode – Wrong

I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about the new Depeche Mode album. It’s not because I question their musical integrity – I always believe they have it in them. Being a fan of some 20+ years, I always like to believe in them and want new music from them.

But I thought, my goodness, there’s no way they could they top the musical comeback that was their last full-length album “Playing the Angel”. I went into that album with very low expections.  So when it was released, and I was blown away, I felt that they had acheived a level of “nirvana” in their career. I thought I listened to their best work to date.

Then Dave Gahan decided to release a solo album shortly thereafter. His solo effort “Hourglass”, while decent, left us wanting more in substance. We surely all felt the absence of Martin Gore’s production. And, ultimately, we were left begging for another Depeche Mode album!

Come 2009, they rise to the call!

If “Wrong” is any indication of how “Sounds of the Universe” sounds… we’re in for quite a ride! I am not only hooked on the arrangement, the lyrics, and Dave’s vocals, but in their new post-modern synthpop image. They make no bones about it, they OWN the synthpop sound.  They are not only the forefathers of synthpop, but continue to be the masters of it!  There is no better that continues its legacy.

That is a clip as performed at the Echo Awards in Berlin, Germany recently.  They are as tight as ever. Dave Gahan and co. are completely on point. This version brings the best of what they were and what they currently are. A band that commands respect and attention as the group that defined and continues to define the synthpop sound.

In summary, Depeche Mode continues to be a force to be reckoned with in modern synthpop music. They show their contemporaries they are the absolute best the genre has ever had; and ever will have.  See you on August 1st or August 3rd?

North American concert tour:

Friday, July 24th                                     Toronto
Saturday, July 25th                                 Montreal
Tuesday, July 28th                                  Washington , DC
Friday, July 31st                                      Boston
Saturday, August 1st                             Atlantic City
Monday, August 3rd                               New York
Monday, August 10th                            Seattle
Wednesday, August 12th                       San Francisco
Friday, August 14th                                San Diego
Sunday, August 16th                              Los Angeles
Monday, August 17th                            Los Angeles
Thursday, August 20th                            Santa Barbara
Saturday, August 22nd                           Las Vegas
Sunday, August 23rd                              Phoenix
Tuesday, August 25th                             Salt Lake City
Thursday, August 27th                           Denver
Saturday, August 29th                           Dallas
Sunday, August 30th                              Houston
Tuesday, Sept 1st                                   Atlanta
Friday, Sept 4th                                      Tampa
Saturday, Sept 5th                                 Ft. Lauderdale

As one of the most influential bands of the post-punk era with global sales in excess of 100 million, Depeche Mode belongs to a select premiere league of super groups who have survived from the early 1980s with their ideals, creative vision and core members intact.  Formed in 1981, Depeche Mode – Martin Gore, Dave Gahan and Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher – continue to win critical and commercial acclaim across the world both in the studio and on the road.  All of the band’s 11 studio albums have reached the Top Ten in not only the UK and USA but 20 plus countries around the world including Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and Belgium. Since their inception, Depeche Mode’s live shows continue to be a must-see attraction, with the group playing to 2.8 million people across 31 countries on their last tour alone.

Cheers,

The New Wave Diva