Depeche Mode -- Sounds of the Universe

Thread title says it all... Reposting from http://www.thequietus.com/articles/depeche-mode-announce-2009-world-tour

10th May - Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan Stadium
12th May - Athens, Terra Vibe Park
14th May - Istanbul, Santral Istanbul
16th May - Bucharest, Parc Izvor
18th May - Sofia, Vasil Levski Stadium, Tuborg Greenfest
20th May - Belgrade, USCE Park, Tuborg Greenfest
21st May - Zagreb, Arena, Tuborg Greenfest
23rd May - Warsaw, Gwardia Stadium
25th May - Riga, Skonto Stadium
27th May - Vilnius, Zalgirio Stadionas
30th May - London, O2 Arena
2nd June - Hamburg, HSH Nordbank Arena
4th June - Dusseldorf, LTU Arena
7th June - Leipzig, Zentralstadion
10th June - Berlin, Olympiastadion
12th June - Frankfurt, Commerzbank Arena
13th June - Munich, Olympiastadion
16th June - Rome, Stadio Olimpico
18th June - Milan, Stadio San Siro
20th June - Werchter, TW Classic Festival
22nd June - Bratislava, Inter Stadium
23rd June - Budapest, Puskas Ferenc Stadium
25th June - Prague, Slavia Stadium
27th June - Paris, Venue TBC
30th June - Copenhagen, Parken Stadium
2nd July - Bergen, Koengen
3rd July - Arkiva, Arvika Festival
11th July - Porto, Superbock Super Rock Festival

Press conference here:

http://www.livenationinternational.com/depechemode

I'd heard rumors about a new album but it's nice to see all this concrete info. Playing the Angel being so spectacular I have pretty high hopes -- Ben Hillier producing again.

(And a wonderfully random Sarah Palin slam from Dave in that conference!)

heheh

I'm kinda curious about their new album (even more so than the new Cure album). I'm not the biggest DM fan in the world, but I'm that they're still around. As if they suddenly say to themselves... "ahem... it's time now"

Well, the press conference detailed kinda how they work these days in the broad sense -- every so often they get together and say, "So, one more?" It helps that Dave's got the solo career now -- last year's Hourglass was the underrated release of the year from where I sit, and his songwriting continues to improve dramatically -- and that's one of the most relaxed press conferences I've seen from the three of them as well.

Tim Finney, on the Playing the Angel thread I think, identified that one reason why Depeche has gently thrived all this time is that while Martin's songwriting in particular is little changed from all this time before, how the band records and performs their work, especially given the rotating set of producers in recent years, is open to variety. One of Dave's comments I thought was interesting lay in talking about how older equipment was being reworked for this album, as opposed to just simply using that equipment as is -- a minor but telling point. Combined with Dave's near-decade-long run now with his improved singing voice and there ya go.

yeah, count me excited. 'Playing the Angel' is mprbably my fave DM album at this stage.

you can also tell that dave is enjoying it alot more over the last few albums. this has as much to do with the recording process as it does his own songwriting, the use of software allowing him to get far more involved than he was during the alan wilder years.

album: joyous news.

just one UK date? pah. however: june might be an excellent time to go and see my pal in berlin ...

I'm kinda curious about their new album (even more so than the new Cure album). I'm not the biggest DM fan in the world, but I'm that they're still around. As if they suddenly say to themselves... "ahem... it's time now"

When a band has been together for a certain time period, they may as well stay together forever. See Rolling Stones or Status Quo. That is, unless a key member dies. See Four Tops.

If it is going to be anything like "Playing The Angel", it looks good (although a little less Dynamic Range Compression would be nice). "Playing The Angel" was, after all, the best thing they'd done since "Black Celebration".

That is, unless a key member dies

yeh, dave tried that. didn't work out for him, though.

got tix for düsseldorf. never seen 'em before - psyched!

yeh, dave tried that. didn't work out for him, though.

He surely "did his best". Thankfully still around. I doubt they would have gone on without him. Cannot quite imagine Martin being the lead singer on everything although he is on the occasional track.

The details are out:

Depeche Mode have announced the track listing for their eagerly anticipated 12th studio album 'Sounds Of The Universe', released April 20th, on Mute. The release is preceded by their stunning new single ‘Wrong’, out April 6th - the first single to be taken from the album.

'Sounds Of The Universe' marks a reunion between Depeche Mode and Ben Hillier, who previously produced their 2005 album 'Playing The Angel'. Eclectic and energised, the band's new LP was recorded in Santa Barbara and New York.

'Sounds Of The Universe' Track Listing

1. In Chains
2. Hole To Feed
3. Wrong
4. Fragile Tension
5. Little Soul
6. In Sympathy
7. Peace
8. Come Back
9. Spacewalker
10. Perfect
11. Miles Away / The Truth Is
12. Jezebel
13. Corrupt

I have high hopes. Given that the ticket price ended up scuppering a rather jolly plan for me and a load of mates to fuck off over to Berlin in June, I feel Depeche Mode owe me one. Or something.

can't wait

12. Jezebel

Can you believe they've never used this as a title before?

1. In Chains
2. Hole To Feed
3. Wrong
13. Corrupt

And these must be the result of getting Nine Inch Nails fridge magnets for Christmas.

So is "Wrong" available to stream anywhere yet?

North American tour dates!

---

NEW YORK, NY- February 20, 2009—Groundbreaking electro legends Depeche Mode have announced North American cities and dates for their upcoming “Tour Of The Universe,” which will mark the group’s most extensive outing in the region in several years. Kicking off in Toronto on July 24th, the band’s 22-city North American tour will cover both the US and Canada and hit most major markets across the continent (see dates below). Tickets for select markets are set to go on sale on March 13th.

Depeche Mode’s “Tour of the Universe” is happening in conjunction with the release of the group’s twelfth studio album, Sounds Of the Universe (Mute/Capitol/Virgin), which will be released on April 21st. Alongside a standard CD format, Depeche Mode has announced that Sounds Of The Universe will also be released as a Special Edition CD/DVD and a Deluxe Box Set that will include a host of exclusive material:

* Three CDs containing the album, bonus songs and remixes, as well as 14 demos available exclusively-- a career first for Depeche Mode.

* A DVD that will feature three films: Making The Universe, a behind-the scenes documentary about the recording of the album, Usual Thing, Try And Get The Question In The Answer (a conversation with the band discussing recording techniques, intercut with personal archive footage from previous album sessions) and Sounds Of The Universe (a short film featuring track by track with the band). The DVD will also include the promo video for the album’s first single “Wrong” (directed by Patrick Daughters), plus four songs filmed live in the studio in December 2008 and a version of the album the album mixed in DTS 5.1 surround sound
* Two 84-page hardback books, one featuring the lyrics to all the songs from the Sounds Of The Universe sessions, accompanied by exclusive photography by Anton Corbijn. The second book will contain exclusive and candid studio photography by Daniel Miller, Ben Hillier, Luke Smith and Ferg Peterkin.

In addition, the album will also be released as a double vinyl LP (including a Sounds Of The Universe CD) and as a download.

Cities and dates for the group’s 2009 North American concert tour are:

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

Attention Dan, they are playing Boston. Happy?

Yeah, if I'm still living here!

Well now you have a choice list of locations to move to.

TAMPA HERE WE COME

Upper Midwest fans = hosed. (I am a little surprised they're not at least playing Chicago -- then again, maybe a festival date or two?)

lollapalooza?

OTM, actually -- that's August 7th to 9th, smack dab in a hole in their schedule between NYC and Seattle.

BUH. I just saw the tracklisting for the full edition:

---

Deluxe Box Set Edition

CD 1 - Sounds Of The Universe
1. In Chains
2. Hole To Feed
3. Wrong
4. Fragile Tension
5. Little Soul
6. In Sympathy
7. Peace
8. Come Back
9. Spacewalker
10. Perfect
11. Miles Away / The Truth Is
12. Jezebel
13. Corrupt

CD 2
Bonus tracks
1. Light
2. The Sun And The Moon And The Stars
3. Ghost
4. Esque
5. Oh Well

Remixes
6. Corrupt - Efdemin Remix
7. In Chains - Minilogue’s Earth Remix
8. Little Soul - Thomas Fehlman Ambient Mix
9. Jezebel - SixToes Remix
10. Perfect - Electronic Periodic Dark Drone Mix
11. Wrong - Caspa Remix

CD 3
Demos
1. Little 15
2. Clean
3. Sweetest Perfection
4. Walking In My Shoes
5. I Feel You
6. Judas
7. Surrender
8. Only When I Lose Myself
9. Nothing’s Impossible
10. Corrupt
11. Peace
12. Jezebel
13. Come Back
14. In Chains

DVD
Video
Making The Universe / Film (45.23)
Usual Thing, Try And Get The Question In The Answer (55.12)
Sounds Of The Universe [A Short Film] (10.05)
Wrong (promo video - 3.16)
Studio Sessions:
Corrupt (4.08)
Little Soul (3.52)
Stories Of Old (3.24)
Come Back (6.05)

---

Okay, that demos disc alone.

Will download the first 3 tracks off disc 3 and the remixes then never bother with the rest. Interesting release idea though.

Plus for the box set:

Packaging / additional content:
2 piece custom made box with foil blocking.
2 x 84 page hardback books:
The first featuring the lyrics to all the songs from the Sounds Of The Universe sessions accompanied by exclusive photography by Anton Corbijn.
The second featuring exclusive and candid studio photography by Daniel Miller, Ben Hillier, Luke Smith and Ferg Peterkin.
2 exclusive enamel badges
1 poster
5 artcards, sealed in a collectors envelope
1 certificate of authenticity

So probably quite expensive.

2 exclusive enamel badges
1 poster
5 artcards, sealed in a collectors envelope

okay I am not 13, I don't need this shit

Little 13
Why take the badge with the box?

Corbijn books sound v nice, though.

Seeing Corbijn photos seems like it would just drive home how awful the Corbijn-free cover is. It looks like a U2 album, for god's sake.

Where can I see the cover? Also, still no stream of Wrong? I've yet to hear it.

Nkay, saw the album cover. Um...I'm okay with it.

CD 3
Demos

!!!

Wow demos.

hey did all the albums come out in that dvd/cd reissue seies in the end?
anyone get them? anyone get them ALL? what's the MASSES dvd like? saw the VIOLATOR one and
loved it.

hey did all the albums come out in that dvd/cd reissue seies in the end?

Yes.

anyone get them?

Yes.

anyone get them ALL?

Oh yes yes.

what's the MASSES dvd like?

Rules. But my two favorites in terms of interesting/revelatory stuff plus archival footage are the ones for Construction Time Again and Black Celebration.

Is the Playing the Angel audio any good on anything other than the vinyl version? I listened to the cd quite a bit but hated the nasty mastering volume but heard a few songs off vinyl and they didn't screw that one up!

Meantime, "Wrong" got the world premiere tonight over in Germany:

Black Celebration sonics, Gore's blues fetish in full effect, massive vocals on the chorus...on the one hand, no surprises, on the other hand, HOLY shit this is great.

Okay I can't have been the only one here to have heard that by now.

WRONG!

Ah very good.

:)

listened to this many many times now, not much to add other than this is pretty great! solid DM.

bahhh come to australia you old bats.

Very, very pleased.

I like that new song, reminds me sonically of MFTM era tracks but I really can't stand to see Dave's stage antics.

That is absolutely fantastic. Oh, I cannot wait for this album.

but I really can't stand to see Dave's stage antics.

B-b-but that's been his schtick for years now.

Love "Wrong" a lot. Utterly familiar-sounding DM, but seems amazingly current.

I was going to say, that's as much part of Depeche live as Fletch standing there doing not much at all.

Meantime a couple of writer friends who have heard the full thing are enthusing, one saying that the album opener in particular is flat out brilliant.

i think this is a great song

wow they are really reaching back, aren't they

I mean, this sounds like a lost A Broken Frame song in a lot of ways.

god damn that is a great song. mlg does it again

Having heard the entire thing, I really dig Gahan's "Hole to Feed" and "Peace," too, among highlights. The album as a whole is definitely a tougher listen than "Angel" - longer, the hooks buried deeper and take more time to reveal themselves - but it also echoes with all sorts of classic pre-"Violator" DM ingredients. Apparently Gore went off the sauce and wrote up a storm for this, and Hillier steps up with more than just an "Angel" retread, production-wise. I wasn't disappointed.

Having heard the entire thing, I really dig Gahan's "Hole to Feed" and "Peace," too, among highlights.

Cool, these are the songs I want to hear the most -- Gahan turning into an ace songwriter has been the best Mode development this decade.

If it is going to be anything like "Playing The Angel", it looks good (although a little less Dynamic Range Compression would be nice). "Playing The Angel" was, after all, the best thing they'd done since "Black Celebration".

― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, October 7, 2008 7:24 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^^^ otm

Well, Gahan didn't write "Peace," but melodically there's something going on in the vocal I'm not sure I've heard in Depeche Mode before. The track definitely nods back toward Kraftwerk, too.

The cover I so hated (DM standing, sunglasses on and arms crossed in full I R Serious U Guyz mode in front of some dull globe sculpture, here) has been replaced on Amazon with this (link instead of embed because Amazon have decided to be dicks and start covering their images with big transparent squares called "cover.gif" and I'm too lazy to sort through the source code). It's an improvement, I guess!

Oh, and "Wrong" is fantastic now that I can finally get it to load- can't wait to hear the studio version.

BTW, site mods please feel free to add "Sounds Of The Universe" somewhere in the thread title.

Are any site mods likely to be reading the DM 2009 thread?

Clearly someone is.

Anyway, fuck knows what this is all supposed to mean but, um, yay?:

EMI Music today announced the debut of the first iTunes Pass with groundbreaking electro legends Depeche Mode. With iTunes Pass, music fans can get new and exclusive singles, remixes, video and other content from their favorite artists over a set period of time, delivered to their libraries as soon as they're available.

The first iTunes Pass debuts today in conjunction with Depeche Mode’s forthcoming 12th studio album, “Sounds of the Universe,” to be released on April 21 in the US. Fans who sign up starting today get the alternative/dance pioneers’ new single, “Wrong,” as well as the Black Light Odyssey Dub Remix of the new track “Oh Well.” They will also receive the new album on its street date plus great music and video exclusives before and after the album’s release over the next fifteen weeks. The Depeche Mode iTunes Pass can be purchased starting today for $18.99.

“As we work to better understand music consumers and help create stronger connections between fans and artists, we are pleased to work with Apple and Depeche Mode to kick off iTunes Pass," said Ronn Werre, president, Music Services for EMI Music. "We think it's a great new platform that will change the way artists engage with their audiences and also a powerful new way for us to build value for our artists’ music. And with iTunes Pass, Depeche Mode are once again demonstrating that they are true trailblazers and innovators when it comes to creating amazing music and connecting with their fans."

“iTunes Pass is a great way for artists to give exclusive music and video, on their own schedule, directly to their fans.” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services. “iTunes customers are going to love getting additional content directly from their favorite artists right when they make it available.”

It looks like it means "pay $19 and get all of the music/video associated with this album, including singles/remixes/B-sides".

If it definitely meant *all* of it, great, but "great music and video exclusives before and after the album’s release over the next fifteen weeks" is a touch vague.

Well, they can't let it go on forever, otherwise you're spending $19 to buy all of Depeche Mode's material; no one on the supply side is going to go for that!

4 months of DM shit for $19 is pretty sweet IMO, although I'd consider waiting to see what actually came out for it before buying it.

Yeah, same here. I presume the website will have something more concrete soon.

my wife is a DP freak. i kinda wanted to order her the deluxe box, but she cares more about the central album than the extras, so i pre-ordered the basic version.

"DM" not "DP."

Doom Patrol on the brain again, I guess.

"DP freak" could be misunderstood...

the cover is like shockingly bad imo

it seems like old-ass bands always come with the shitty designs and this vexes me in a way.

hhaha otm - wtf is that cover?

Official video for 'Wrong'

sorry this is somewhat offtopic, but do you guys think the touring the angel cd-dvd-extras live in milan release is search or destroy?

Search. I would have preferred Corbijn filming it, that said it's a stellar performance from a fantastic tour.

holy shit, that video

Pretty much!

thanks ned. i think it would be cool if they did an abridged box for this new release. i quite like the album + documentary thing.

Why the fuck dont they ever tour australia on their "world tours", ^$%#$% they havent toured here since Violator :(

that video is uh, wrong

Is the Playing the Angel audio any good on anything other than the vinyl version?

The 5:1 version sounds quite nice. Of course it is another mix, so you cannot quite compare, really.

"Wrong" sounds OK. Cool synth sounds. Not too keen on the "rawness", but I have become used to DM often releasing a "raw" initial single off their albums now.

Yeah because "Precious" and "Dream On" were all about raw unbridled intensity.

There are exceptions, sure.

In the case of "Dream On", it was very representative of the entire album. Yes, I am aware it did have "The Dead Of Night" in there, but generally it was the most musically relaxed and almost "ambient" Depeche album ever.

The new single "Wrong" doesn't appeal to me in the least -- why you guys are saying this holds a candle to anything on Black Celebration or Music for the Masses I've no idea. Also the video is pretty flat out fucked up, but at least interesting to experience once... unlike the song playing over it.

I'm still very much looking forward to the album, mind.

Yeah thats one weird clip.

My editor at the paper on Twitter, an hour ago:

"Having to print off, sign and post an agreement not to 'share' the latest Depeche Mode album before it's sent for review purposes. Oh EMI... "

(I might get him to hum it to me down the phone.)

why you guys are saying this holds a candle to anything on Black Celebration or Music for the Masses I've no idea.

Because it's great?

:-D

Yeh: what Ned said, basically.

I have often disliked the first single off their albums. I don't this time and, well, I guess I haven't since "Barrel Of a Gun" (which I later learned to love), but I still consider "I Feel You", "Never Let Me Down Again" and even "Personal Jesus" among the weaker tracks on their respective albums.

"Never Let Me Down Again" would never appeal to you because the entire point of the song is the construction of the chord progression around the pedal point in the vocal line, an idea that basically is the Antichrist in your world of musical expression.

Haha apart from 'Personal Jesus' these are all my fave DM songs pretty much. I LOVED 'Dream On', which seems a bit overlooked around here

"Dream On" is fantastic! Love that song so much.

Agreed, a much better choice of first single.

"Dream On" is great, in both versions (thinking of the variation they did during that tour, along with the more straightforward one).

Liked "Dream On" too. Even though "Freelove" is my favourite single off that album.

"Exciter" is probably the most underrated Depeche album btw (well, besides my all-time favourite "Construction Time Again"). Surely, not as good as "Playing The Angel", but people seem to agree that it is more or less their weakest and it surely isn't.

I'd have to agree with the people w/r/t 'Exciter'. I never gave it much of a chance but found it incredibly dull (apart from aforementionned lead single)

The exciting Luxembourg contest!

I rather like Exciter, mself.

Dave Gahan interviewed on BBC 6 by Lamacq right now, saying he and Martin really liked/were inspired by MGMT last year. Go figure.

anyone heard this new single by a dude called fryars with big dave gahan on backing vocals? it's awful! it also has a stephen hague remix. awful.

I have always enjoyed this group and their music. I think the worst album they released was Faith and Devotion but what they have done since then is very good INDEED! So this is a new album they have coming out, then?

Yes.

i picked up the live in milan dvd the other day and it is indeed ace. the camera work really doesn't bother me that much. the version of "walking in my shoes" on it is massive!!

Ned, what is your least fav. Depeche Mode album?

if you say anything before Violator you're doing it wrong btw

lol everyone knows my challopy least fave, I think

Dave Gahan interviewed on BBC 6 by Lamacq right now, saying he and Martin really liked/were inspired by MGMT last year. Go figure.

May not be a problem, as long as they avoid the extreme clipping/compression of the MGMT album. It is probably the worst example of that that I've ever come across.

if it sounds anything like fucking mgmt i will not be buying it

Ned, what is your least fav. Depeche Mode album?

A cop-out but Songs of Faith and Devotion Live, just for its irrelevancy -- and even *that* has version of "Walking In My Shoes" and "In Your Room" which are jawdroppingly spectacular.

Anyway, word is that initial pre-sales for New York, Hollywood, Phoenix, Denver, Houston and Ft. Lauderdale are tomorrow at 10am local time for each spot. San Diego presales are Tuesday, same time.

Ned, thanks for the answer.

Now then.

What is your least fav. Depeche Mode studio album? ;-)

I really do like them all.

Hmph. Way to answer the question...

I mean I love them all too, but I'd discard Ultra or Violator before any others, being forced to choose...

And by Violator I of course mean Exciter. Wow typos are fun.

Both those albums just shine for me. "Insight" is one of their best songs, period.

as is "sister of night"

Oh wow that video. Late-career Depeche Mode material seems so much more vital than late-career material by some other big bands (e.g., R.E.M. and U2).

Yeah, isn't it? It's definitely personal bias in my case but even so.

Goddamnit Ned, I'll never get you to pick a least favorite DM album... huh?

Nope!

I don't dislike any Depeche studio album, but for me, SOFAD is clearly a bit below the rest in quality. Dunno if it is mainly because of the extensive guitar and "hard" industrial synth sounds or because of the unually obvious blues/gospel feel of the songs.

I'm in for the first Hollywood show.

Apparently the opening act for America is Peter Bjorn and John -- well then.

not that i'm going but yeugh

Apparently the opening act for America is Peter Bjorn and John -- well then.

Woo boy, Ned's gonna be there bright and early in his TWEE HAT!

^ I cannot fucking wait for this album.

track by track review online @ quietus already !

http://thequietus.com/articles/01306-depeche-mode-sounds-of-the-universe-the-first-review-of-new-album

The iTunes pass just served up "The Sun and the Moon and the Stars (Electronic Periodic's Microdrum Mix)" -- Martin vocal, one of his most fragile at the start, the whole song keeps drawing you in. Be interesting to hear the 'real' version but this is pretty excellent as it is.

Even though there's still like 5 albums of theirs i need (including Violator!) i still really really can't wait to have this.

What in the name of holy fucking hell is this absurd article in the Guardian all about?

Fucking sub-Smash-Hits drivel that the band come out of surprisingly well.

that was pretty funny. did you really want another article about dave's heroin addiction and how martin is obviously a very troubled man? the cool thing about dm is that beneath the dark, sleazy exterior, they are still awkward and geeky and down to earth, despite all the drama.

this made me lol out loud:

Fletch "You can't drink perfume!"

Martin "Well you can, but they take it away from you if you go
to rehab."

did you really want another article about dave's heroin addiction and how martin is obviously a very troubled man?

Christ, no. But that whole "Tweeing and rollerskating" setup, rather than being cute and funny, just makes me wince. The band come across as funny and likeable, but the whole premise of the interview is just inane.

Okay this part rules:

Martin "My daughter likes things like My Chemical Romance, so I thought she might like the Stooges, too. I got laughed at."

Do you despair at the crumbling of society?

Martin "Yes."

As does this:

Actually being in Depeche Mode and performing for the first song of a medley of Depeche Mode hits as you pick up your lifetime achievement Brit award

Fletch "I'm going to pick Wrong for this because... it's the single. Also it would be quite humorous."

Why would it be funny to win that award?

Fletch "I'm not saying that. I'm saying it would be quite funny to win an award and then say it was wrong. (Silence in room) Let's have some enthusiasm for these answers! If you don't think my answer is stunningly amazing then I'm sorry."

Dave "It's never going to happen though, is it? We've been sadly overlooked! For many years!"

Have you ever been offered it?

Dave "What, the 'Old Bastard' award? The 'They've Been Around Long Enough And We've Got To Give Them Something' award? 'They Did A Lot Of Stuff, Some Of Which I Quite Liked'? I don't think we've ever been offered it; I haven't heard. Isn't the Brits fixed? We got the 'Old Bastard' award from MTV and only Fletch turned up."

<3

Also, having listened to the new Peter Bjorn and John on a sprightly walk this morning, they're not such a strange touring pair - the singles are a total smokescreen, the rest is total '80s melodrama with sweet percussion.

I've heard good things about that (the new PB&J) but haven't got it yet. This -- total '80s melodrama with sweet percussion -- sounds right up Grimly Street.

Holy fuck. I've just bought tickets for Depeche Mode at the SECC in December.

This hasn't quite sunk in yet.

It will.

:D

cant tell whether i dig this or not

first half is stronger i think

great review dude, you should write for pitchfork

the other night I dreamt I was watching tv and there was a commercial for depeche mode lego sets

Construction time again.

Damn, that video! It's like an inverted, scarier version of the Karma Police video.

so i think my problem with this is that none of it is really MASSIVE the way i like my depeche mode (with the exception of "wrong," maybe)--"little soul" i keep waiting for it to blow up big and it never really does.

"peace" is pretty good but again just doesnt get as BIG as classic depeche imo. a lot of the songs have too much radiohead sounds.

i sort of wonder if id like it more if it wasnt streaming on the fucking internet and i could actually listen to it somewhere besides my computer. ill say this--like all dm albums it sounds best when u play it really loud

listening to the leak now, not really into Depeche Mode anymore but this thread has me excited about this new album.

the few tracks i checked out last week sounded like early demos

Corrupt (live session)

thin white duke remix of "wrong" is actually pretty dope, especially the breakdown with the stereo-d out toms. not feeling the others at all, though it can't be easy to live up to the originals sheer vastness! i think it's my favourite 00s dm single yet!

Yeah I was really liking that mix as well -- the other two I picked up had their moments, haven't yet heard the Trentemoller.

Anyone here getting the deluxe box set?

Hi there! (Preordered it in early March.)

Figured out something about "Fragile Tension" just now -- it's kinda their payback song to Billy Corgan's own open fandom (and is a hell of a lot better than anything Corgan's done in years).

I know it is lolRolling Stone, but this "bad" review couldn't be more of an endorsement IMO:

The pulsing single "Wrong" oozes classic synth-pop angst, but with Commodore 64-style beats and laser-tag keyboards, ballads like "Peace" are comically New Romantic, and the dour "Spacewalker" sounds like the score to Star Trek rewritten by a deeply bummed-out robot.

Now I'm even more psyched to hear this & will download today.

Black turtlenecks? When did Depeche Mode become a beatnik band?

I can't think of a single review written by that particular critic that I've agreed with.

http://www.rollingstone.com/blogs/caprilounge/2008/03/sonny-bono-rap-superstar.php

i haven't really cared about a DM album since "violator," but this is pretty freaking awesome. part of that is simply that it's tailored to my tastes -- much less stadium rock, much more electronic noodlery...

i was actually hoping it was going to be more electronic than it is. they teased me with that info about the vintage synths & i started dreaming of a fresh take on super-sized synthpop. nonetheless, it's a very strong album & i can't wait to see them live later this summer.

i certainly would have been happy with a much more electronic direction, but i think the way they DID use the synths is really done -- they bubble up from the structure, rather than just being slathered on top. i think "fragile tension" shows the synths/rock balance really nicely.

also, after a dozen listens or so, i think that the songwriting is really in pretty top form.

ok - I might go during my lunch break to see if my local store has put this on the shelves early

yeah i agree, "Fragile Tension" is one of my favs. i heard an early demo of it that sounded really dull too, so it was a nice surprise. but i am all about the last two tracks right now. "Corrupt" is damn sexy.

listening here:
http://www.dhnet.be/dm/

wow, this is great so far.

it's a good album, the best since Violator.

also...

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RpTRoam5eOc/SW_lkQIIfcI/AAAAAAAAK70/mmkZYPN9zk4/s400/Depeche.jpghttp://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/budilike/3266.jpg

oh man. someone didn't do their photo archive research.
agreed on best since "violator."

(that photo's gotta be corbijn, btw, right?)

wow @ this album. can't wait until the real thing drops.

Why does Martin look like he just acidentally wet himself in that photo and is cringing.

^ someone's holding the B-52s LP sleeve up on Anton's right

the album kind of reminds me of portishead's third in terms of production and songwriting

This thread, I fear, is giving me some seriously unrealistic expectations.

ha no kidding

esp since I don't like "Wrong" nearly as much as everyone else seems to

just being a dissenting voice here but i wasnt blown away at all.

fwiw im basically the opposite of phil in what i want from depeche, which is way less electronic noodly stuff and way more arena synth-pop... and even the arena synth shit on this (like wrong) doesnt do it for me

This thread, I fear, is giving me some seriously unrealistic expectations.

ha no kidding

esp since I don't like "Wrong" nearly as much as everyone else seems to

Sadly, agreed.

fwiw i hated "wrong" the first time i heard it (the video in this thread), but i have done a complete 180 because it works so well in the context of the album . it very much makes sense as the third track.

fwiw i hated "wrong" the first time i heard it (the video in this thread), but i have done a complete 180 because it works so well in the context of the album . it very much makes sense as the third track.

substitute "hated" with "was a little disappointed by" and this is exactly how I feel about "wrong." I love it now.

oh the video is totally badass, I am just not convinced by the song yet

Walking In My Shoes demo = ROFL

(ok, maybe not ROFL, but certainly "uncomfortable O_o")

I've listened to this twice and so far I'm a bit underwhelmed. It feels very un-Depeche, which is surprising after Playing the Angel which I thought was the perfect encapsulation of what post-Violator DM is about. I guess the new one has a bit in common with Exciter, but whereas that album seemed to aim for a sultry night vibe (only half-successfully) the new one, and this is a first, mostly comes across as a daytime album.

the other night I dreamt I was watching tv and there was a commercial for depeche mode lego sets

― peter in montreal, Thursday, 26 March 2009 21:46 (3 weeks ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Construction time again.

― a tiny, faltering megaphone (grimly fiendish), Thursday, 26 March 2009 22:24 (3 weeks ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Haw I contributed this to Photoshop/MS Paint Nike and other evil corporations ruining famous album covers almost four years ago!:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/olem/lego_depeche.jpg

am listening for the first time right now: Sounds Fantastic! Best since Violator: too early to tell, but I wouldn't be surprised.

My AMG review is up.

The sounds in the chorus of "Peace" remind me of Lindstrom/Prins Thomas' "Run"

Anyway, got the box set edition in the mail today and it is crazily gorgeous. Currently listening to the second disc with the extra session tracks and remixes -- "Light"'s a good little number, fits in line with something like "Martyr" and, stepping back a bit, "Sacred" (more on the lyrical front).

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-closure21-2009apr21,0,3970072.story

Hollywood Boulevard to close for Depeche Mode show

The band will tape a performance Thursday at 8 p.m. at Hollywood and Vine. The boulevard will be closed from 11 p.m. Wednesday until Friday at 6 a.m.

The demos disc is fascinating stuff for sure -- not just hearing Martin's lead on most of the songs but some of the elements not carried over. Like on "Judas," where there's a very Jamaican-style synth-horn part that appears.

nice review, ned.

I think I prefer your review to the album at the moment, Ned. However: this is a first listen and yes, you're right, I think it almost certainly will be a grower. (And I can't help but be disappointed given some of the breathlessness upthread -- including my own!)

Thank yer both. (Grimly -- it wouldn't be the first time that's happened; I *still* get people going "I wish I liked Exciter as much as you did with your review!")

Hahaha, brilliant (ad for the German market -- Martin speaks a couple of languages fluently IIRC):

okay "In Chains" starts very very well

"In Chains" continues very very well! awesome

"Hole To Feed" seems kind of silly; it may be partially because of the terrible headphones I'm listening to this through, though.

That one's a bit goofy but it won me over after a few listens.

The ending is more appealing than the beginning.

So my above stance on "Wrong" is quickly changing because I find myself humming it constantly; it's amazing what a great video can do for a song, huh?

(also the lyrics are badass)

lol so my first reaction upon hearing the opening to "Fragile Tension" was "wow someone has been overdosing on Ladytron CDs"

I can't believe how great Dave sounds these days.

"wow someone has been overdosing on Ladytron CDs"

Hahaha. Hey, they got 'em to open for the tour in Europe for a reason!

So as of "Little Soul", this album basically makes me think they're trying to recreate Exciter using the equipment they used for A Broken Frame.

"In Sympathy" has a really nice intro.

They are trying to slim down and re-Vincify on this album, it seems. There's a sense of lean spring to the music that's been missing for a while.

x-post -- Pretty much!

I mutter this in the review but there's definitely a sense of 'here's where we are now but using the tools we would have had back then,' which is essentially your point. And I like that because that adds initial notes of the unexpected -- in hearing the demos for this album on the box set it's also interesting to hear what did and didn't change much from the 'rough' versions to the final cut. I'll be watching the DVD stuff tonight to see what else can be gleaned.

There's a sense of lean spring to the music that's been missing for a while.

This can be especially heard in the three Dave-sung bonus tracks on the second disc that aren't remixes -- "Light," "Ghost" and "Oh Well."

"Peace" I didn't notice; I got distracted.

"Come Back" is gorgeous!

"Peace" you gotta get back to, total 1984-era bassline for them. And yeah, "Come Back" is one of my favorites, another wonderful Dave-written song.

It's funny I really don't hear the old school vibes so many of you are talking about. So far "Come Back" and "Miles Away" are the ones really kicking my ass. Love the kind of sun-hazed vibe of those two. Also I can't believe no-one has mentionned "Jezebel" whic is really goregous in a Lynch kind of way.

it's amazing what a great video can do for a song, huh?

Yes, Wrong didn't really connect with me until I watched the video. Actually, what I dug the most was the Youtube studio footage of Dave recording it into a handheld mic. Watching him give it his all was really inspiring.
I need to listen to the album another couple of times before deciding on where it sits in their canon. The advance press lead me to wonder if it was going to be Black Celebration Redux, but it most definitely is not.

"Jezebel" is one of those ones where the demo has just enough difference from the final version -- it's the same pace/lyrics/etc but Martin initially sang it with more clarity, where this sounds a little more drowned. The Lynch vibe is there (or more accurately Badalamenti) but I think this one might get a bit lost because it's such a Martin song, ie the softly lugubrious ballad like so many others. "The Sun and the Moon and the Stars" is more immediate to me, but its remix via the iTunes pass was even more so.

I really don't get that P4K review

all this talk of a broken frame is very exciting!

RRRONG!

i only just starting getting into the last depeche mode album, which was enough to make me reassess my "meh" reaction to the band overall. 'precious' is one of the dopest tracks in their catalog. definitely going to check out this one, 'wrong' sounds pretty good.

okay I'm listening today on better headphones and the difference is AMAZING; I should never listen to music on that other set of headphones ever again

"Peace" is kind of cool, you guys

I like how empty/sparse these songs are!

I hope this isn't bad form to mention here, but we (well, mainly I) put together a pretty cool feature for Rhapsody, including some exclusive quotes from remixers Michael Mayer, Rex the Dog, Roman Flügel and others. It's here: http://blog.rhapsody.com/2009/04/justcantgetenoughdepechemode.html

...and that's my last self-promotion on the matter.

"I like how empty/sparse these songs are!"

yup, and the space makes the synths sing!

hey pshrbrn, the photos need captions so people can find out who the remixers are!

A great album, as expected. Haven't really dived that much into it yet, but it seems like another solid long player. Now I don't joined that "best since Violator" bunch yet, simply because 1. their previous album was absolutely marvellous and 2. There are at least four other Depeche albums that I would rank ahead of "Violator" anyway. But this is solid stuff, no doubt. I like the heavy use of analog synths, and that there seems to be fewer guitars than for a while.

Funny, I find this album very guitar heavy but in a mellow soft rock way as opposed to the RAWK thing they went for on SOTD

digging this - kind of bummed out on missing out on the demos disc but $70 was sort of a naw maybe later reaction for me

Having spent said amount for the box...it was worth it.

I need to also say again -- the Thin White Duke remix of "Wrong"? Quite possibly my song of the year at this point.

ach, thank you, tricky. that was... an oversight!

first thoughts:

-- it's "Exciter, Part II"
-- "Wrong" makes more sense in the context of the album, although at the time, it really stands out as the clear choice for the first single.
-- if Mark Bell had done a better job producing "Exciter" then it would have sounded more like "In Chains"

I agree with all of the above.

"In Chains" in particular is fiendishly great, I'm finding. The part of the Pitchfork review that talks about the front-loading of this album is pretty accurate.

The more I listen to this, the more it does actually sound like the sounds of the universe to me. It scares me to think how much money I would pay to go to a Cure/DM tour, especially after their most recent albums.

The more I listen to it the more I find that my initial thoughts of it being a 'quiet' album like Exciter are inaccurate -- there's a lot of big sounds throughout but since they're not all pitched at Playing the Angel-style RAWRGH levels they bubble up more. "Corrupt" in particular is really starting to sink in.

Been a massive debate on Depeche lists/sites about the wisdom of leaving "Ghost," "Light" and "Oh Well" off the album proper but I enjoy the fact that we have them to start with. If anything they're just the big 'what ifs' like "Happiest Girl" and "Sea of Sin" were for Violator.

The main DVD documentary about the making of the album has had a slew of clips appear on the official site for the past few months so it's not all a surprise but there are interesting moments -- Dave talking about wanting something different and interesting for the "Wrong" video (hey, he got what he wanted!), the extent to which Martin now seems more thoroughly involved in arranging his songs via all the old keyboards and equipment, what they wanted to aim for on this album vs. the last etc. Also turns out that the final version of "Wrong" took a long time to finally settle, they only wrapped up in late November on it -- based on the versions and clips that they play, all the changes were for the better (the middle eight was originally this melodramatic-even-for-them string/synth deal that would have killed the momentum stone dead).

Listened to this once through, it reminded me of Pretty Hate Machine. Am I mad?

Um, yes?

Just finished my first full listen and I'm liking it, quite a lot. Would like it even better if "Jezebel" had been left off though. I didn't think I ever needed to hear DM as a schmaltzy Vegas lounge act, but now I'm 100% sure of that.

Jezebel is fantastic!

Maybe I need to give it another listen, but I just couldn't help but wish the whole thing was an instrumental version of the last minute or so.

i went to the show last night and the new songs are sounding rough around the edges, but nice against the backdrop of the hits. it was cool to see them play a slightly unpolished set. the setlist was: wrong/personal jesus/walking in my shoes (with faux "fly on the windscreen" intro)/come back/peace/enjoy the silence/never let me down. PJ, ETS and NLMD all had bits of the remixes/extended versions added. crowd went predictably crazy for the last two.

Nice, about what I would have expected for a free show like that.

The "Usual Thing" documentary on the DVD (at least the fancy box set version) is a nice complement to "Making the Universe," which was a basic chronological assemblage of footage over six months without anything else tying it all together. In contrast "Usual Thing" relied on various interviews from all involved and focused on the final album sessions in November, mostly to do with mixing with Tony Hoffer. A lot of it is to be expected but there's all sorts of brief trivia bits and more demonstrations of their current studio process, Ben Hillier's ability to keep things focused (which Mark Bell is implicitly said not to have done a good job at for Exciter) -- a lot of keyboard discussion near the beginning for any gearheads. Best bits:

* there's a variety of interstitial moments of video footage from, I'm pretty sure, the Some Great Reward sessions in Berlin -- a fair amount of it cropped up on the DVD with that reissue but there's some more here. A lot of it is used in a 'look how they've changed/the more things change the more etc' sense but it's no less effective for that. (It is perversely amusing/maddening, if understandable, that barely any shots of Alan Wilder appear in that footage -- he's still the unspoken absence.)

* snippets of four full live-in-studio performances are included, which are also in full elsewhere on the disc. They all sound radically different from the final versions as a result and are worth it for that alone -- "Stories of Old" is the out of nowhere inclusion but hearing "Come Back," "Wrong" and especially "In Chains" this way = A+ -- and it was also of interest seeing Fletch *actually play keyboards*

* they all still love foozball/table football. In fact it's a major plot point as such through the end of the credits.

that last point basically screams that I should be in Depeche Mode

Well get on it!

thanks for the info about the box set dvd, ned. the dvd bits are my favorite parts of the reissues and they are the main thing that give the DM release version onslaught credence IMO.

Oh one other thing -- they talk about "Oh Well" which I had missed (or forgotten) was the first full-on collaboration between Dave and Martin -- the latter had created an instrumental in Santa Barbara in studio, Dave liked it and came up with words and a melody for it and suggested it to Martin in New York and Martin, initially hesitant, got on board with the idea over time. It's one of the best songs from the sessions and while I don't think it's the way to the future I do think it's a good sign that they've figured out their songwriting dynamic to that point.

(Also I remember a mention that Tony Hoffer was chosen to mix because of his work on Dave's Hourglass album, which was the best album from 2007 that only Dan and I knew about. Dammit.)

er...STORIES OF OLD?? on the new dvd? wow fr real?? god that's made me very nostalgic.

It's a pretty sharp performance! Rocked up in that guitar is the lead instrument with a quiet electronic backing, but it's a fairly restrained turn in general.

Dave's Hourglass album, which was the best album from 2007 that only Dan and I knew about. Dammit.

Hey now... I enjoyed it also.

:'(

genuinely *mental* fan from the 101 era, i sort of fell out of love these last years. their last tour was the only one i didn't see them on since 1990. but having heard the album now i feel it safe to say that COME BACK is their best song since HIGHER LOVE in 1993. amazing stuff! it's the sort of song that no one else does this well, but also in fact the sort of song no one else does at all. makes my personal highlight from ...ANGEL (SUFFER WELL) seem very weedy indeed by comparison. are there some actual 85/86/87 era industrial samples on it? there's a distinct pipe-banging vibe that's been missing since at least ...MASSES era.

BRITS lifetime achievement award in 2011 i'd wager (not 2010, after Pet Shop Boys this year they wouldn't give it to another electro pop band that'd just be daft!)

god bless these guys man.

Does anyone know if Mute will be doing anything as prosaic as releasing 12" vinyl with the Efdemin, Minilogue & Fehlmann mixes?

There is a Wrong 12" with the Thin White Duke, Caspa, and Trentemoller remixes: http://991.com/Buy/ProductInformation.aspx?StockNumber=468136

So maybe there's hope.

For...?

(Having heard all the mixes, the TWD is the one to go for.)

a 12" with the Efdemin, Minilogue & Fehlmann mixes, I assume...?

My wife thinks this one is too "creepy" and vastly prefers Playing The Angel. I think maybe she hasn't really paid much attention to PtA...?

Ah right, I hadn't seen Phil's post on Saturday. I liked the idea of "'Wrong' remixes are on vinyl = our long national nightmare might be over!"

"John the Revelator" = a song about Cadbury Easter eggs

"The Sinner in Me" = dealing with the vague sense of guilt when reading magazines at the bookstore instead of buying them.

haha bastard, I was trying to come up with one for that one

Hahahaha.

"Damaged People" = 'I wonder who threw out all these old department store mannequins?'

"A Pain That I'm Used To" = 'We're getting bad weather, I feel it in my bones.'

Haha wow - SoU seems to me like the most upbeat album DM ever released

Wait, hold on, in comparison to Speak and Spell? (Then again that does have its share of creepy songs...)

I'd argue that Some Great Reward comes across as more upbeat.

second listen, this is fantastic. "fragile tension" is an obvious highlight, but it seems like there's a lot of growers on this album.

i wasn't too sure about the chorus in "peace" at first, but the stunning pre-chorus more than makes up for it (GREAT lyrics, and something kinda freddie mercury-esque about the phrasing that i fully endorse)

production is AMAZING probably their best since ultra. love how the use of very minimal analog drums let the arrangements really expand, and some really cool atmospherics, though i do wish they'd turn down the bit crusher a little

some incredible vocal performances from both gahan and gore as well, dave sounds positively soulful on "in chins"

"perfect" another highlight, the chorus is very beatles-y. someone needs to remix this and just extend the intro for a few minutes

Yeah, I have to say that Dave's vocal performance on "In Chains" is probably the greatest thing I've ever heard him do.

whoever chose to close the album with "corrupt" is a genius

I can think of fewer things that would make me happier than a YYYs/DM tour.

Yeah, I have to say that Dave's vocal performance on "In Chains" is probably the greatest thing I've ever heard him do.

His own point of reference he's mentioned for that performance is early seventies Marvin Gaye -- no bad thing.

the first minute of "In Chains" is pretty dope, not a fan of the vocal part

i like how the chords from "in chains" reference "leave in silence"

Haha can't wait to make myself a "WRONG!" ringtone!
http://www.depechemode.com/news.html?pageNum=1&i=70#news_72

Hey Mr. Sherburne, check this:

Depeche Mode
Wrong (DJ Remix EP) (12")
12BONG40DJ

Wrong (Frankie Knuckles Remix)
In Chains (Minilouge's Earth Remix)
Corrupt (Efdemin Remix)

http://www.downtown304.com/index.cfm?sID=54997

Really like the sound of the Frankie Knuckles Remix.

The more I listen to this album, the more I love it.

All the details emerge each time. Every time another song makes the leap from 'okay enough' to 'holy shit, stellar.'

Haha I know! "Hole To Feed" is currently kicking me in the teeth. The first time I heard it, I thought it was really fluffy and inconsequential, but now it's close to my favorite song on the album (competing with "In Chains" and "Corrupt").

Still not convinced that "Peace" should have been the next single; I might have chosen "Come Back" or "Fragile Tension".

"Peace" is a bit of a weird choice, yeah -- seems more like a third single, not a second. But I'll be interested in what the remixes do for it.

the best new record of a senior band since the last dino jr.

nice one, matt, thanks for the tip. efdemin's mix sounds good...

"Peace" is a bit of a weird choice, yeah -- seems more like a third single, not a second.

I agree with this, but then again, "Peace" is my favourite song on the album right now, so I'm not complaining.

Anyway, I really came here to post this:

THE TOUR. IT BEGINS. TONIGHT.

I will be there. Will report later!

Hahah you madman -- I approve. Looking forward to hearing about it.

OK, I wasn't sure whether to post this stuff on this thread, or to start a new one (in case people don't want to read spoilers). So, uh, SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT.

Set list: (notes to follow)

In Chains
Wrong
Hole to Feed
Walking in My Shoes
It's No Good
Question of Time
Precious
Fly on the Windscreen
Jezebel
A Question of Lust
Come Back
Peace
In Your Room
I Feel You
In Sympathy
Enjoy the Silence
Never Let Me Down Again
-------
Encore 1

Stripped
Master and Servant
Strangelove
-------
Encore 2

Personal Jesus
Waiting for the Night

this makes me want to buy tickets. thanks for posting.

Oh fuck, I hope they're still playing that set in December. Waiting For The Night! <3 <3 <3 etc

the show in Israel was disappointing for most people:
1. they expected "greatest hits" setlist
2. the sound was terrible

some random notes:

-- A really simple stage setup, just the band and video screens behind them, with a spinning orb/globe appearing as a recurring visual.

-- This is the most "rock" I've ever heard them sound, the guitars were LOUD.

-- "In Chains" is the obvious set opener (at least for me), Dave's voice sounded a bit off, but y'know, opening night and all that.

-- speaking of which, this was easily the sloppiest show I've ever heard them do. There were flubbed lyrics, vocal cues were missed, and during "Peace" Christian lost the beat completely and the song nearly turned into a trainwreck as a result. Not sure whose fault that was, but it was a really obvious mistake, although they recovered reasonably well. Chalk it up to opening night lack-of-polish.

-- The new songs sound AMAZING live, they really kick a lot harder than on the record. In particular, seeing "In Sympathy" live has completely changed my opinion of that song.

-- "Fly on the Windscreen"! And check out the songs in the first encore!

-- During "Peace", the video screens showed footage of nuclear explosions, fighter jets, and peace marches, while Dave Gahan sang "peeeeace wiiiiilll cooooommme tooooo meeee YEAAAAAAAHHHH THAT'S RIIIIIGHTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" It was a bit of weird combination.

-- "Waiting For The Night" was sung by Dave and Martin together, standing at the front of the runway, with a stripped-down accompaniment. Pretty much the same idea as "Goodnight Lovers" from the last tour. Really beautiful and a perfect ending.

-- Bit of a strange crowd, who were very energetic in fits and spurts, but there were a lot of dead moments and nearly no reaction to any of the new songs other than "Wrong". Not at all what I was expecting.

-- YYY's were great too, but this is a DM thread.

the show in Israel was disappointing for most people:
1. they expected "greatest hits" setlist
2. the sound was terrible

I disagree.

1. They played plenty of hits. If people aren't excited to hear "Strangelove" and "Master and Servant" in the setlist for the first time in 20 years, then screw them.
2. Sound was better than I expected, not bad at all for a stadium show.

it's from reading the posts by people whove been in the show in the local israeli news sites.

in Israel, you don't get lots of live shows from abroad, so, yeah, they expected hits, and they don't know the setlist - for most of them it was their first show ever.

Actually, the real problem, which I've only come to understand after having calmed down post-gig, isn't that they didn't play enough hits (or too many new songs), it's that many Israelis don't know all that many of Depeche Mode's hits. Fans in almost any other city would be losing their shit listening to DM play "Master and Servant" in 2009, but most people in T.A. simply don't seem to know that song very well.

...first dephece mode show that is.
xpost

they do know master and servant, but israelies like to complain and they wanted "i just cant get enough" and more 80's stuff i guess

"Fans in almost any other city would be losing their shit "

otm, from 30th may imo

I see DM greatest hits collections for sale (on display) in major stores all over Israel. They're constantly in stock everywhere. They're touring a new album and will obviously play songs from it, that's what bands do. They played all the major hits that they've been playing on the last few tours, plus some surprises.

i don't know.
when mccartney was playing a few months ago - most people said it was awesome - probably cause he did lots of beatles and early stuff.

my guess is that most people who went to the show were 30+, so they know and like only the 80's stuff. DM for them is more about nostalgia, and they dont keep up with most of their recent stuff.

and again - in israel you don't have lots of live shows on regular basis to compare

Most people were 30-, they were the people who were only into a small number of songs. The older people were into everything (not so much the songs from the new album, but that was true of everybody).

They played plenty of 80's songs, plus a few from "Violator". I'm convinced that the problem was more about narrow song selection. McCartney's show was a big hit because everybody knows dozens of Beatles songs. Here are the most popular DM songs in Israel (compiled completely unscientifically, i.e. these are the DM songs that I'm most likely to hear in bars):

Enjoy the Silence
(huge, yawning gap)
It's No Good
Just Can't Get Enough
Personal Jesus

that's it really

'm convinced that the problem was more about narrow song selection.

Bleh, I meant that people's casual knowledge about DM hits is fairly narrow.

The more hardcore fans that I spoke with all loved the show. It's just that there weren't all that many of them, a lot fewer than I expected in any case, and a lot more casual fans.

Not sure if this has been mentioned already, but DM are offering the stems to "Peace" on Beatport for $3.99 -- a couple of single drum hits, a few very short synth lines, vox and vox FX, etc. I'm sure I'll never get around to finishing anything in time for the contest but hey, now I have an a cappella of "Peace," should I ever need one! (Sure would be nice to win a Lemur, though!)

http://www.beatportal.com/feed/item/depeche-mode-remix-contest/

If they play "Stripped" when i see them in Phoenix, i'm just going to lose it. Completely.

Oops:

British electronic band Depeche Mode cancelled a long-awaited gig in Athens on Tuesday after frontman David Gahan was rushed to hospital, Greek media reported.

Quoting organisers of the concert, City 99.5 Radio said Gahan was taken to a private clinic with suspected gastroenteritis. Other news reports said the concert could be held on Wednesday if his condition improved.

Finally picked up the new album tonight, single disc version.

Hmm. Reports are that the next few shows are being cancelled and that Gahan's going back to the US for treatment. ?

Bugger :(

what....???????????

swine flu?

aww.

This article claims it is a tumor...

http://www.demorgen.be/dm/nl/2590/Festivals/article/detail/866921/2009/05/27/Gezwel-ontdekt-bij-zanger-Depeche-Mode.

Gezwel = swelling, lump, cyst, not necessarily a tumor

Depeche Mode to restart Tour Of The Universe in Germany - First concert June 8th in Leipzig
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Today at 11:14am

Depeche Mode are pleased to announce they will restart their interrupted Tour Of The Universe in Leipzig, Germany on June 8th. On May 12th, lead singer Dave Gahan suffered a severe bout of gastroenteritis, leading to his hospitalization and the cancellation of the Athens concert. While in hospital, further medical tests revealed a low-grade malignant tumour in Dave's bladder, which has since been successfully removed. At doctors' orders Dave Gahan must take a break until June 8th, to ensure that he makes a full recovery. The Leipzig show on June 8th will be the first concert following Dave's recovery.

Ah.

man, this cat gahan really does have nine lives!

whew. glad to hear this.

Couple of "Peace" remixes have surfaced via the iTunes Pass -- Herve's 'Warehouse Frequenices' mix is a good 'un.

More iTunes Pass stuff, a couple of live tracks from Israel, "In Sympathy" and "Walking In My Shoes." And of course include a classic Dave "GOOD EVENING TEL AVIV!"

This just isn't Dave's year:

Depeche Mode regret to announce that the following performances will be cancelled due to a calf muscle tear Dave Gahan suffered during the band's show in Bilbao on July 9th.

* Saturday, July 11th at Super Bock Super Rock Festival in Porto

* Sunday, July 12th at Olympic Stadium, Sevilla

Dave Gahan has been instructed by doctors to stay off his injured leg in order for it to heal and to prevent any further injury. Dave will be unable to perform during this recovery period and he and the Band regret that they must cancel these final two shows of their European tour.

Depeche Mode apologize to their fans for these cancellations.

This was probably stated upthread but the sonic details revealed when listening to this album on headphones are staggering.

The show last night could have been a little sharper (still, Hollywood Bowl acoustics are their own problem) and I would have liked more songs from Sounds (no "Fragile Tension," WTF), but I ain't complaining, especially after all the other California show cancellations. Dave sounded pretty good, Martin's vibrato seems to have settled a bit, etc.

Best reworkings: piano/vocal only for "Home," the new piano-led rearrangement of "Waiting For the Night" and a take on "In Your Room" that mostly jettisoned the Butch Vig remix take they've been doing for years in favor of something closer to the original album version, though different in its own right.

Best Corbijn video backdrops: the three of them in astronaut suits against a blue screen shuffling around and looking a little downbeat during "Enjoy the Silence," the slow motion silhouettes of band and dancer for "Personal Jesus," all the live camera footage one-upping last tour's more fixed shots (brings all the performances fully to the back row, a lot more active and tracking shots)

Most 'Wait did he really film that' Corbijn video backdrop -- "Strangelove." Foot fetishists ahoy.

I happened to think all the projections looked cheap and boring. I can't believe people are going ZOMG apeshit over them. Pretty poor quality in my opinion.

They're not all that far removed from the Violator era ones, though definitely the most expensive/indulgent remain the Songs of Faith and Devotion projections. And the Playing the Angel ones were barely there!

I've never seen DM live before this tour so I have no prior projection knowledge to compare to, but compared to other large projections i've seen, these were easily the most boring i've ever seen. That orb thing hanging was terrible too. Meh, worse than the projections was the fact that the first hour of the show seemed to be performed about 2-5bpms slower than the studio versions and filled with boring newer tracks. Nobody wants an hour of dirge at the beginning of a DM show. They should compact their post-Violator set inclusions to only 3 or 4 songs. I Feel You, Walking In My Shoes and Precious are really all you need to hear from DM after 1990. Anyway, I'll never pay to see them again but I didn't hate the show. The 2nd hour was pretty decent.

I Feel You, Walking In My Shoes and Precious are really all you need to hear from DM after 1990.

...I see we will have to agree to disagree here.

the highlight of my saturday night was overhearing a very young bartender at a wedding hitting on a girl. he was talking about going to lollapalooza and twice mentioned seeing "day-peh-shay mode".

Maybe he was secretly a Dead Milkmen fan.

I think it would be great to see DM and have them rely less on all of the big hits. Or even do a show of all post-SOFAD material.

I figure there's always five songs they'll play no matter what -- "Never Let Me Down Again," "Personal Jesus," "Enjoy the Silence," "I Feel You," "Walking In My Shoes." After that, whatever they want to do. I was actually surprised at the inclusion of "It's No Good" but not as surprised as seeing how huge a reaction it got, given that Ultra feels like a bit of a lost album due to the lack of tour for it.

Also a little surprising -- the only song from either Exciter or Playing the Angel was "Precious."

I recently rediscovered Ultra and I think it's one of their best: song for song it just works, and given the stress under which it was made that makes it all the more impressive.

Surprised they didn't at least play "Suffer Well".

Anyway, sister of a friend took some *really* good shots at the show.

Great photos, Ned's friend's sister!

I only picked up SotU about a month ago, because my initial listen was so disappointing, especially after the excellent last album. I almost considered making it the first DM album I wouldn't purchase, but I ended up finding it for cheap, and I don't regret buying it. I felt (and still feel) like not a one of these songs sounds like a single; instead they're a compelling group of album tracks with some interesting songwriting here and there. That probably sounds awful to some people, haha. I'd say it's on par with Exciter, but not as high highs and not as low lows.

OH FUCK YES

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=63278919

these guys are really winning the "effortlessly disturbing" video stakes

I like how it just keeps getting more...wrong.

lol@mustard kiss

Make-out song of the year?

But really, what am I supposed to make of this video? Ideas?

this fucking album.

<3 eric wareheim's videos.

People better not forget about this album when compiling their end of year list...

saw them live tonight. never really paid attention to them save for three singles. will give this new one a serious listen, then consider what earlier stuff to tackle first.

Grimly Fiendish supposedly caught them tonight as well so I await his thoughts.

Just barely got the deluxe boxset & i'm blown away by the books and remix postcards. Now desperate to collect them all.

Hello:

Alan Wilder's playing piano for the encore. First time he's been on stage with Depeche Mode in 16 years.

Shot of same.

Holy shit.

oh shiiiiiii

Here's hoping for a tour with only Alan Wilder-era stuff being played.

We have video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2umJr_dGpw

Sing-along cameraman?

Only at the start, thankfully.

This concert is going to be up there with the Rose Bowl.

Shot from further back so you can both Alan and Martin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_9EK6BK9ws

(And a different angle, more accurately! The HD focus helps a lot when the closeup section begins.)

I had no idea that Liars' Julian Gross was passenger in the "wrong" video.

Would be great if he'd actually rejoin the band. He's like the great dark horse of the band, and his input in terms of arranging was very important. After he left, their producers have had more power.

Julian Gross was in Depeche Mode?

Does Dave say 'charlie's good tonight' at the end of that clip?

It's kind of heartbreaking how patchy this album is. Half of it approaches career-defining brilliance (first 4 songs, "Come Back", "Corrupt") and the rest is kind of this big pile of anonymous filler that could have been put out by a competent Depeche Mode tribute band.

Which makes it really no different than any Depeche Mode album since, but obviously not including, Violator.

Eh, not really. Both Ultra and Playing the Angel are much stronger.

seconded. Really love Come Back and Miles Away but the rest is just pretty uninteresting. Although to their credit they seem to have tried to go for a different sound, breezier and poppier, but it just isn't a very good one and the songs are mostly kinda meh

I really like this one too, but sure not as good as "Playing The Angel".

What's odd is that some of the B-sides are better than some of album tracks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyD8xIsUVSo

Here's another one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-2wPAMUq3k&feature=related

And the inevitable DVD:

--

Depeche Mode

"Tour of the Universe - Live In Barcelona"

DVD and Blu-ray released November 8th, 2010

Playing 102 shows in 40 countries, Depeche Mode's acclaimed Tour Of
The Universe saw Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andrew 'Fletch' Fletcher
performing to over 2.7 million people.

Their epic trip across the globe was one of the most successful tours
of recent history and saw them playing a host of stunning material
spanning their impressive 30 year history.

"Tour Of The Universe - Live In Barcelona" contains 21 tracks
recorded over two sold out nights at the Palau St Jordi in Barcelona
on November 20th and 21st 2009, both shows being highlights of the
celebrated tour.

Released on Mute, this spectacular DVD release comes with a host of
bonus content including four bonus tracks recorded across the two
nights, a tour documentary - Inside The Universe - two tracks filmed
at tour rehearsals in New York and Anton Corbijn's specially created
"screen films" for seven tracks plus further bonus montages created
from the on-stage screens.

In addition the four promotional videos from 2009's acclaimed 'Sounds
Of The Universe' album including the Grammy nominated Wrong, directed
by Patrick Daughters, are included.

*"Tour of the Universe - Live In Barcelona" comes in three formats:*

*Super deluxe 4-disc version (2xDVD, 2xCD):*

DVD1 (a 21 track live performance plus four alternate/bonus tracks)

DVD2 (extra bonus content including documentary and promo videos)

2 x CD (audio of the 21 tracks from DVD1)

*Deluxe version (1 x DVD, 2 x CD):*

Contains DVD1 and the two audio CDs

*Blu-ray (2x Blu-ray discs)*

*Depeche Mode - Tour Of The Universe Barcelona 20/21:11:09*

*DVD1*

1. In Chains

2. Wrong

3. Hole To Feed

4. Walking In My Shoes

5. It's No Good

6. A Question Of Time

7. Precious

8. Fly On The Windscreen

9. Jezebel

10. Home

11. Come Back

12. Policy Of Truth

13. In Your Room

14. I Feel You

15. Enjoy The Silence

16. Never Let Me Down Again

17. Dressed In Black

18. Stripped

19. Behind The Wheel

20. Personal Jesus

21. Waiting For The Night

*-Bonus tracks*

World In My Eyes (20th)

Sister Of Night (21st)

Miles Away / The Truth Is (20th)

One Caress (20th)

*DVD2*

-Inside The Universe

Tour documentary with subtitles: English, German, French, Italian,
Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Hungarian and Czech.

*-Tour Of The Universe / Screens*

In Chains

Walking In My Shoes

Precious

Come Back

Policy Of Truth

Enjoy The Silence

Personal Jesus

*-Tour Of The Universe / Rehearsals*

Wrong

Walking In My Shoes

*-Bonus tracks*

Insight

Hole To Feed

Behind The Wheel

Never Let Me Down Again

*-Sounds Of The Universe - Videos*

Wrong

Peace

Hole To Feed

Fragile Tension

"In Chains" has subsumed my life

such a fucking great song

For Immediate Release

Depeche Mode Press Conference
Paris October 23 at 1:30pm

Depeche Mode - Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher – host a press conference in Paris October 23rd where they will be making an exciting announcement.

The press conference will begin promptly at 1:30pm and will be broadcast live online. Please stay tuned to depechemode.com for more details.

Depeche Mode have spent much of this year recording their forthcoming new studio album in Santa Barbara, California and New York City.

I bet it's ... a new album!

or they're adopting a child together

Bouncing baby Dan.

And you're right about "In Chains" of course.

Corrupt (from Sounds of the Universe) lives in my mind constantly.

I can't help thinking of Personal Jesus with that track. Something about the synth loop.