easycure

In the midst of their stylistic decline?! Because did Dream Theater have a style?

I wasn't referring to a specific album when I mentioned synth pop; I was speaking generally about the band. I agree that even Kraftwerk themselves have been overly praised; in fact, Kluster were doing Kraftwerk-like things a couple of years earlier.

I don't understand where the "Dark" turning point is... for me, dark is the Joy Division of Unknown Pleasures, not certainly the overly romantic ballads of "Songs of Faith and Devotion"... oh well, and again, oh well... Synth pop of low slaughter.

Gahan's singing style is merely a pale imitation of soul; he may have a nice voice, but when has a beautiful voice alone ever made music great? The melodies are pathetically commercial, worthy of any boy band, but of course with the typical pompous taste of the '80s. As for the lyrics: well, I certainly haven't read them all, but of the ones I've listened to and understood, not a single one stands out. There may be exceptions, but overall, Martin Gore is hardly a Bob Dylan or a Bruce Springsteen. How can one define a "never let me down again" that throws out one of the most clichéd and banal drug metaphors possible, if not as incredibly trivial? And let’s not even talk about "love" songs like "Enjoy the silence" or "in your room"... I honestly believe a child could demonstrate greater sensitivity in choosing images... If we then look at much of the pre-'85 production, the discussion becomes even more tragic...

of course this is not enough to consider their production essentially trivial; there are countless groups that have created beautiful pieces using canonical structures. But, because there is a but: the sound is, I repeat, at times interesting but never modern, certainly not essential. You’re not going to tell me that Martin Gore invented that electronic/atmospheric sound that characterizes their songs so much?! There are at least ten years of bands before Depeche Mode that developed that sonic format, starting with Kraftwerk, continuing with Kluster, Devo, Joy Division, etc. .. in short, they were called "revolution of sound," but they made very little of a revolution, I challenge anyone to say otherwise.

Come on guys, don't fall for this nonsense.. if the lyrics are written by Martin Gore and not Gahan (yes, I didn't know and I honestly don't care to know) I don't think that changes the quality of the lyrics, does it? So come on, let's focus on substance, please.. ;) .. as for the "meaningless tunes," I can only observe that: Depeche Mode have always (and I mean there's not a single track that goes beyond this logic) adhered to the traditional pop song format, that is, the one that blasts out verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus ending; at most, they've replaced one of these elements with an intro or a solo, but the essence doesn't change. Structurally, they are ultra-canonical pieces.

Of course it was different! Usually the ending of "A Forest" changes pretty much from year to year, from tour to tour, and often the interpretation is different as well, partly due to changes in musicians. Like in '89 and '92 they played a beautiful version of over 15 minutes where the big guy even sang an extra verse... anyway, the one they do lately is terrible; limp and anonymous. Look for a bootleg from the disintegration-Wish period for the really beautiful versions, otherwise the Concert one is fine too; )

Well, just to respond (sorry for the delay : D) to Zion and DS, but how can we not consider Depeche Mode overrated? I look at their career and all I see is a nonsensical string of tunes.. the only thing they’ve managed to do is create a sound that’s barely personal and at times even interesting, albeit obviously rather amateurish, shallow, and not innovative at all.. and then where would these profound lyrics be??? Come on.. Dave Gahan uses expressions that could come from a ten-year-old, when he’s not outrightly descending into bad taste.. it seems to me that their story has been shaped more by the millions of copies sold throughout their career than by their highly debatable artistic merits..

I don't have this one in mind... but averaging the others... ; )

I believe it's one of the most useless, ugly, pathetic records and, on top of that, it's opportunistic (come on! a song against the war, how much lower can you go??).. Elisa reveals all her grotesque limitations.. I guess she can only be considered a great artist in a country like Italy..