I grew up digging Depeche Mode. I always liked them. When Pop music reigned on MTV I enjoyed watching music videos and seeing DM was always a treat because they had a darker sensibility than most other acts (I enjoyed Frankie Goes To Hollywood and the Thompson Twins as well). As the years progressed they seemed to keep getting better, and darker. I really think they peaked with Songs Of Faith And Devotion in ’93. After that it was pretty much downhill. Ultra was an ultra-disappointment. Exciter was anything but. And Playing The Angel never really gets played at all anymore since there are only one or two somewhat decent tracks on it. The music has lost its edge, the darkness seems forced and the beats don’t hit quite so hard while Gahan’s voice seems significantly leaner. They’ve grown soft.

Even so, my pulse always begins to race when I learn there’s a new album coming up. And Depeche Mode’s 12th studio album is due in April ’09 which will be followed by a world tour. Martin Gore has taken to buying a lot of classic collector’s analogue equipment (including a Steiner Parker) so that could translate into something cool. Little has been heard so far but some low quality footage shows a slight bit of promise.

You can check out more footage at DMs YouTube page Let’s hope this one ranks a little higher than the last few, at the very least.