Depeche Mode have been known as experimental, musical innovators right from the start of their synth-based conception. Over the last twenty years they have matured into serious, mature recording and live artistes.
Never afraid to push back boundaries, they have come up with a sound unique to them and have emerged as one of the best post-punk bands around.
Their album releases, lesser these days, have been memorable occasions where they have ventured into some new territory and have successfully created a new music and sound that marks their adaptation and musical evolution. Violator was the album that is considered to be their best, which contained the singles “Personal Jesus” and of course “Enjoy The Silence”.
Violator also marked the lyrical genius of Martin Gore.
They followed this up with Songs of Faith and Devotion and Ultra, which surprised everyone with their industrial influence. The album however retained their trademark Synth-Pop influence, albeit with heavy guitaring especially in numbers like “Home” & “Useless”.
It’s been quite a while that their fans have heard of Depeche Mode, not that they have quiet mind you just waiting. For those lucky ones who have heard them Martin demos (Long Live Napster!) you may have an inkling of what to expect. Nevertheless you should also realise that there is along road between a demo and the final, polished track on the Album.
The latest entry to their vault is Exciter. Maybe I have come to expect too much but Exciter doesn’t cater to the high standards of their earlier work. I would rather start with the negative points about the album. The two instrumental numbers, namely “Love Theme” & “Easy Tiger”, are probably the weakest tracks ever produced by Depeche Mode and they should quickly credit them to someone else. Alan Wilder in the past used a lot of experimentation with his sound and created tracks that could be heard over and over again. Unfortunately the new instrumental tracks only highlight the huge void that Wilder left behind which cannot be filled by any other.
The rest of the album, apart from these two debacles, has traces of sheer genius, tainted to a certain degree by our high expectations. The first single “Dream On”, (doing the rounds of MCM as I type) is a hangover from their hangover from their Ultra era and seems grossly misplaced in Exciter. This is felt even more as there is lack of a central theme in Exciter, which makes the single stand out eerily. There is also a feeling that Gore has written insipid lyrics, with “Breathe” and others failing to inspire.
Having said that one cannot help but comment on the fantastic moments in Exciter. “I Feel Loved” is a brilliant up-beat pop song, while “Dream On”, “The Sweetest Condition” & “Free Love” have their own merit and keep us wanting for more. Martin’s lyrics have the same creativity that catapulted him to fame in these tracks. One can still find Dave Gahan’s voice as sensual as ever and also the sugar-coated voice of Martin reminds us how good it is to live tonight.
For the first time however, Martin’s lyrics have become more Goth than Pop, more underground if you like. They seem to be exploring darker issues yet almost half-refusing to accept them. This should please most Depeche Mode fans, as this is the sort of maturity they might have been expecting. I can quote samples of lyrics that I personally liked, but they deserve to be read as a whole to simply marvel at Martin’s lucid creativity. The songs should be heard from the beginning and try to get full original versions instead of scratchy bootlegs that will mar the whole effect.
In conclusion, Exciter, is a good strong album, though easy to criticise keeping in mind the high standards of the band. A great precursor to their tour scheduled for the latter part of the year. Do not hesitate to add it to your collection. New Depeche Mode fans can try it out though getting accustomed to their sound is something I recommend doing first.