Not the most epic and artistic tribute to Depeche, and not a gimmick: a must-have for hardcores looking for a giggle, or those who want to get their little ones started on the good stuff early!
When the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2012, I bid 2011 a not so fond farewell. 2012 is already proving to be an exciting year for DM fans, as more rumors and delectable bits of information start to leak out. What do we have to look forward to?
Depeche's "So Cruel" bleeds with their signature sounds of the noughties, without losing the sensibility of U2's original, and leaves a pleasant warmth in the heart of the listener.
Listening to Susan's vocal made me think that this had the potential to be a chilling cover, but it fell short by a poor arrangement. Instead, it drags and sounds watered down.
Day nine of the 30-day Depeche Mode challenge – Your guilty pleasure Depeche Mode song
This one was a little difficult, as I tried to think of songs that the fandom would make me feel shame for liking, but the truth is, there aren’t really any! Why? ‘Cause I like some songs that are the campiest of camp, or songs that Dave wrote that people hate, and I regret nothing! I kept coming back around to the first song that came to me: “Dirt.” Technically it’s not a Depeche Mode song, it’s an Iggy Pop cover, but it’s still part of the catalogue so it counts.
Last week I received an advance copy of the latest addition to the Depeche Mode tribute collection – Rockabye Baby! Lullabye Renditions of Depeche Mode. When I was first contacted, I will admit I was skeptical, as I know some attempts at Baby-Rock albums have been rather cheesy and poorly executed. However, I am pleased to say that this release made me smile from the time I opened the package – coming from a person who’s only interested in ga-ga if there’s a “radio” or “lady” preceding it.
Day Eight of the 30-day Depeche Mode challenge – Your Favorite song featuring Martin on Vocals
It was a tough choice, but this one has to be “One Caress.” First, the full-orchestra accompaniment is Depeche Mode with maximum class, giving the song a cinematic feel of revisiting a masquerade ball centuries past. Combined with the power of one of Martin’s strongest vocals to date, the listener is hurtled forward as the song progresses. “One Caress” has a lot of motion to it, using balance and tension to great effect. For me, this is also one of Depeche’s most visual songs (though most of Songs of Faith and Devotion is highly visual in my mind). Finally, the melody is infectious and Martin’s gorgeous tones are inviting – I find myself singing along nearly every time, sometimes without realizing it.
Day Seven of the 30-day Depeche Mode challenge – Your favorite cover of a Depeche Mode song
“World in my Eyes” by The Cure is probably the Depeche Mode cover that I listen to most frequently. With this cover, The Cure successfully built on a strong foundation (WIME is one of my favorites) without destroying the integrity of the original. It’s suitably creepier and grittier than the original, however, as Robert Smith’s vocals The Cure’s signature sound amplifies an already devious atmosphere. Love it!
Doing two days in one today, as I missed tomorrow due to out-of-town FanimeCon commitments.
Day Five of the 30-day Depeche Mode challenge – A Depeche Mode song you don’t really like
This has to go to “Black Day,” the bizarre alternate version of “Black Celebration” that appears as a B-side to “Stripped” 12-inch single. (Sample on iTunes.) I don’t have a problem with a bluesy dirge with harmonica-esque sounds, but this short afterthought makes me wonder why it was even public, when the final version of “Black Celebration” turned out so wonderfully. It sounds more like an alternate demo.. a demo of a demo… flat and repetitive. Thankfully it’s short, but not short enough that I wouldn’t push skip if it came on.
Honorable mentions: “Monument” & “The Great Outdoors”
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Day Six of the 30-day Depeche Mode challenge – Your favorite song from the Some Great Reward era
Some Great Reward has several stand-out tracks, but “Blasphemous Rumors” wins, hands down.
After years of listening to it, the intro still sucks me into my headspace immediately on play. The musical atmosphere is easy to get lost in – so much so that I usually find it difficult to work while listening to it. “Blasphemous Rumors” is one of Depeche Mode’s first truly epic tracks, perhaps an evolutionary predecessor to classics like “Black Celebration” and “Enjoy the Silence.” Not to mention the razor-sharp lyrics that center on life’s often cruel irony – something that just about anyone can relate to, but many pretend to forget. Additionally, talking about suicide or questioning God – especially in pop music – is still controversial today, let alone 28 years ago. Depeche were bold to release it, despite the bans and criticisms they ended up dealing with. Of course, we wouldn’t expect anything less from the lads!
Day four of the 30-day Depeche Mode challenge – Your favorite song from the Speak & Spell era
It wouldn’t be much of a challenge (or interesting) if I had a bunch of repeat songs, so I’m make sure to keep away from duplicates. From camp to creep, I love just about every part of Speak & Spell, and as one of my first purchased albums, it holds special place in my heart. However, there are a few tracks (including B-sides) that stand out, and foreshadow the darker sounds DM would come to embrace. For today, I’m going with “Ice Machine,” and it has nothing to do with the abnormally cold winter I’m currently experiencing. The entrancing rhythm sucks me in, as if entering into an endless waltz. It’s actually rather dark compared to Vince’s other offerings at the time. A foundation of deep synth sounds layered with urgent high notes mix well, creating complex layers that work together like a delicious cake – each enhancing the flavor of the final composition.
From the colorful, blue-tinted vintage feel of the opening sequence to the gritty, unstable black and white closing scenes, “Barrel of a Gun” is visually compelling. It’s sometimes otherworldly and sometimes gross, but to the end of telling a story – something missing from most videos these days. The dynamic range of Dave’s expressions in this video is characteristic to Anton Corbijn’s contributions to the Ultra period (see “It’s No Good” and “Useless”) but outside the era, is unique among DM’s long history of otherwise subtle portrayals in even their best videos. Taking it a step further, Anton gets weird(er) – going way out there with the creepy eye-on-eyelid paint, the vintage camera with natural vignette effects, and a Christmas-light coat. Further adding to the deliberate oddity, the stop motion animation of Dave’s gravity-defying hair, the writhing, crawling shots and the erratic camera work fall in tempo with the wretched guitar effects and shambling bass line. Off the wall visuals compliment haunting sounds, using vision, hearing and motion to communicate an wholly eccentric atmosphere.
I don’t like things that are weird for the sake of being so, or for the sake of being art. In this case, the weirdness has purpose – it’s an essential part of the story of the video and the meaning of the song – and looks beautiful to boot.
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