"Some great moments on this but I prefer Delta Machine tbh."

yeah, kinda where I stand too atm

"Not a massive fan of the early plinky plonky early 80s style of DM but also I kind of like there’s nods to that here."

thought this too, some of the tracks straight-up sound like revisitations of A Broken Frame - but with lyrics only the modern Mart could write

early favs for me are My Favorite Stranger, Soul With Me & Before We Drown

I remember liking others quite a bit but haven't quite put names to all the faces yet

I meant to finish this. I just got distracted and too drunk/tired ish. I still need to hear the last few maybe tmw night. Before we Drown I remember being really good.

Hey I also recently took the speak and spell challenge it was so pretty. Now I have to look it up, but Puppets was a real sleeper track. Surprisingly good.

"some of the tracks straight-up sound like revisitations of A Broken Frame"

Macro has kind of the same beat of Monument made with different sounds

yeah but here it extends even further, like Dave's vocals on "Caroline's Monkey" for one reason or another overtly reminded me of that early period. Just the way it was mixed, particular reverbed used on it backed with the super minimal synth sounds, it sounds amost demoey in a way I wouldn't really say about most of the record

"My Favorite Stranger" also kinda reminded me of My Secret Garden (hell even the titles are similar) in more ways than one, but that was much more favorable

I have never listened to Depeche Mode, but just started checking out this album and I am really digging it.

Album Rating: 4.0

jam violator its incredible



really their whole run from black celebration through ultra is essential

Black Celebration to Ultra for sure.

Stripped is one of the best songs ever.

Album Rating: 4.0

Never Let me Go channels me back to the sexy edginess of Stripped and I’m all here for it.

Album Rating: 4.0

Probably the best song they've released in a good while now

Album Rating: 3.0

Yeah, this album is all about Cosmos, Ghosts and Never Let Me Go.

teh sweepingness of Cosmos is Mine really needs more time, I'd like a nine minute version or something

I like Depeche Mode a lot, including the 80s stuff, always wanna hear them break out new structures. this is why I love Blasphemous Rumours so much, they get big. eventually even a band this good creates Enough Songs in their standard framework that I stop listening to their new stuff, I think this album is a 3 or whatever

tending to just start playing this one at "My Favorite Stranger" by this point

first 4 tracks are good - especially that opener & Ghosts - but since those 2 were obv the pre-release singles I gave 'em quite a bit of playtime before the album, & Wagging Tongue + Don't Say aren't exactly my favorites, I just wanna get right into it. and honestly from Stranger onward there aren't many misses

don't think there's really another album of theirs I'd say that for, some maybe had skipper mid-sections but aside from often glazing past a good portion of Spirit I usually just go start to finish with any DM

If Demon likes this I must give it a try.

I got back to the end of this, finally. I am really liking "Never Let me Go." Still got the last one to hear for the first time.

Ghosts Again is what the kids call “a bop”!

Album Rating: 3.0

‘If Demon likes this I must give it a try.‘

🤔 why would you trust me? I do like this but I’m not in love with it yet, there are plenty of better Depeche Mode albums at this stage. That’s fine though, wouldn’t expect any less really. There are some good cuts on this.

Wasn't super wowed by the first few tracks here (lovely production kinda listless songwriting) but lessee if a second go sharpens it up