Speak of the devil, and the devil appears… As a long-time fan of Depeche Mode, I must admit some trepidation with their latest release Memento Mori, appropriately “an artistic or symbolic trope acting as a reminder of the inevitability of death.” Yet with apparent re-listenings, I once again begin to fall in love with their unique energy born of an intrinsic if brutal honesty towards life.
“I’ve been thinking I can come back home
So how would that be, you and I alone?
All alone?”
Depeche Mode’s Some Great Reward was my personal gateway drug to goth music and the gothic lifestyle. Without question, I have listened to more of them than any other group in my lifetime. So much so, that I now consider myself blind to all but the most obviously similar-sounding groups, their influence has been so profound.
.
.
In high school they were often disparagingly referred to as “Depressed Mode” and when confronted with my apparent “unnatural and inexplicable” love of them, I would defend myself by trying to explain their music oddly made me happy. I should have ignored them or blatantly told them all to get fucked.
“I have a feeling, you’re not on my side
There’s a distance, between you and I
You and I”
Unsurprisingly, (affectionately) DM has been featured here several times. Firstly, with their maddeningly unjust and evil “Wrong“, and secondly with their fiendishly raw-romantic “Stripped“. Both highly representative of that dark-brilliant energy they so effectively espouse.
“I feel so naked, standing on the shore
Are you sure?
Nothing’s out there, nothing else no more
No more”
And so it begins, a perfect blend of rhythmic synth, synth-bass, moody atmospheric pads, and addictive drum machine patterns. It is as a whole like a machine. Listen closely and you can almost imagine its self-driven carcass ambling across your vision. The minor chorded pads pull you downward and forward, deliberately tugging at your heartstrings.
“First we stand up, then we fall down
We have to move forward, before we drown
We drown”
There is an inbuilt reluctance, a fragility in Gahan’s voice as if an unhappy dragging admittance of death observed and death accepted. Then Gore backs harmoniously into the mix, and the effect is redoubled with a sprinkling of artifacts encircling a chorus that closes in stepped improvisation. Too soon it ends, as the machine fades to black. Memento mori, Diablo.
~
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<3 <3 <3
I too think it’s one of the most beautiful songs they’ve ever written. 🖤
A beautiful song indeed! More than anything, I think it’s phenomenal that Depeche Mode, who’ve influenced so many artists and bands over the past 30-plus years, is still actively making new music.
Well stated. And, after the loss of Fletch too. Gore said that the only good thing to come from losing Fletch is that he and Gahan have had to work closer. Gahan said for a minute he thought the band was over. Grim. Thanks, Jeff!
You know I’m a big Mode fan and I’m a huge fan of this album. Great flag of this song and for your personal injection. I was a headbanger during the big run of alternative rock, but I had people in the alternative circles soliciting me to try the music. I think all paths ran parallel and your citing “Depressed Mode” reminded me of that. Point is, countercultural music and art will always come under scrutiny by the mainstream or sheep-minded people.
Good points. In an AA high school, only my girlfriend (and future first wife, Cat) liked DM with me. The darkness was an embracing of stark honesty that I was unfamiliar with, but really touched home. I had made friends with a California transplant, Todd, and he taught me about punk (Repo Man Soundtrack), Oingo Boingo, B-52s, Adam Ant, and DM, although he was less enthralled with the last than with all of the former. Cat had a radio show at the local University that she shared with me. Between us, it was a very strange program where she would play Dylan, Peter, Paul, and Mary, and The Sound of Music soundtrack and I would play Wall of Voodoo, early XTC, DM, and early Ministry. So yes, weirdly counter-culture early years… Thanks for reaching out, Ray.
Grandi, li adoro! Per me una delle più grandi band mai esistite su questo pianeta. Quanto mi piacerebbe fare una foto che riesca a parlare di loro o di un loro brano; che li rappresenti in qualche modo.
Not many bands are able to synthesize such wizardry and those that do often don’t last and break up within a few albums. The core of DM to me has always been the magic between Gahan and Gore and here that artistry truly shines despite the missing beauty of Fletch. The cover image I worked to create is a best attempt at reflecting their dark beauty in this song. I agree with you that our attempts to mirror their artistry build joyousness. Thank you for sharing, Gialloesse.