Depeche Mode
Sounds Of The Universe

THE REVIEW

Depeche Mode - Sound Of The Universe

After the timid announcement on their site 16 months ago, and the entertaining Berlin press conference in October, where the World Tour was also presented, with a preview of “Wrong” and “Peace”, the first and presumably second single, the twelfth Studio Album by Depeche Mode is released, “Sound of the Universe.“ DM, along with U2, is the sole surviving band from one of the most charismatic and intriguing decades music has ever had—the legendary '80s. It is precisely from here that this work originates, from the '80s, a child of analog synthesizers made in the '80s and beyond. Some of Martin's synth collection even belongs to the prior decade, almost all purchased from the world's largest virtual store, “Ebay.” Beyond statistics and numbers, I would say it is time to talk about the content of this CD.

13 tracks plus 5 more unreleased ones accessible only for those fortunate enough to possess the Deluxe version (like myself); all with excellent depth both sonically and compositionally where “Wrong” finds its compositional apex, a kind of nursery rhyme/chant where everything blends into an extended verse without a precise chorus. I think commercially it's difficult to find hit songs without true song form like this one; here, DM has once again found the right key. All the songs are by Martin Gore, except for 3 tracks: “Hole To Feed”, the best of the three, without taking anything away from the beautiful “Come back” and the Delta Blues “Miles Away” which are written by the now experienced David Gahan, who sings divinely in all the pieces, except in “Jezabel” sighed by Gore.

An album very meticulously crafted, both in sound and aesthetics, thanks to the hand of trusty Ben Hillier, reaching his second effort with DM. In the 13 tracks, there's a bit of everything, there's much of "Black Celebration" and "Some Great Reward”, something of "Violator" something of "Exciter" and an inevitable trail of “Play the Angel,” all still not too obvious, after all, the Synths are the ones, the sounds too, nobody or almost nobody can make miracles, all tracks revolve around the same frequency, the sound is very molded, only the guitars manage to break out from this cloud of Synth even if in SOTU they have been reduced compared to the past. The part I find somewhat off is in the arrangement of the various tracks, apart from “Wrong”, almost all have arrangements below the value of the song itself, see “Come Back” and “In Chains” two splendid works diminished by the arrangement. Even the rhythm section (all performed with old Drum Machines and Sound Generators) is a bit thin. Nonetheless, “In Chains” stands out as overwhelming and hypnotic, “Peace” is very ’80s with early-day choruses, and “Corrupt” to me is the most beautiful piece of the album (apart from Wrong) with guitars and rhythm reminiscent of “Personal Jesus” but much deeper.

Even though most tracks are excellent pieces, there's a lack of true second and third single material; none have the personality of “Wrong”, perhaps due to the arrangements or the reduced rhythm?

In conclusion, I can only say that it is a great album, deserving of at least 4 stars, an album to have, to listen to carefully and many times, because it is full of details and because it remains and they remain, despite everything, always ahead of their time!

Thank you DM, you've gifted us with yet another splendid work.